Love Is Not Enough
by NewUserNamesAreHard
Summary: When Cain Heel collapses on set and is hospitalized in Guam his real identity is at risk. But back in Japan, Kyoko has her hands full with her audition for Momiji. Will Kyoko be able to save Ren or will only Kuon remain when Japan's leading actor wakes back up? Diverges from the Manga at chapter 243.
1. Chapter 1: The Method Actors

**The Story so far: This story picks up exactly where the Skip Beat manga chapter 243 leaves off. Ren is overseas and Kyoko is auditioning for the role of Momiji in Sacred Lotus of the Mire.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

 **A/N: This story was conceived before the release of manga chapter 244. As Nakamura-Sensei releases more chapters I expect there will be noticeable differences in several characters (Producer Kuresaki, Director Morizumi, and Koga Hiromune). If character consistency is important to you consider this fair warning.**

* * *

Somewhere in Guam…

It took 4 hours and who knows how many takes to get the shot right. Four hours in the sun, dressed in all black and covered in special effects makeup. Finally making it into the air conditioned break room Ren collapsed on a bench next to the vending machines. Kicking his long legs out in front of him and leaning his head back against the wall the actor closed his eyes. Feeling the cool air slowly permeate his clothing, he felt a smile start to tug at the corners of his mouth. _Its almost over._

It wasn't that Ren disliked his role. Black Jack, BJ for short, was exactly the role he was looking for. After all, BJ was an undead, soulless, and truly terrifying serial killer. Tsuruga Ren on the other hand, always played the guy that got the girl. Ren wanted to be more than that though. He wanted to show the country that he could conquer any role. They knew him as a heart throb, but he wanted to scare them stiff too.

Director Konoe had agreed to let him try, but there were conditions… Specifically, no one could know that BJ was being played by Ren until the director decided to reveal it. His name wouldn't even appear in the credits after Tragic Marker was released until the director gave the Ok. The real trick here, was keeping the staff and the rest of the cast from figuring out who Ren was during filming.

To solve the problem Cain Heel was born. Almost as much of a monster as BJ himself, Cain was the role that Ren was currently struggling with. Living as Cain was hard. Cain was the darkest parts of Ren brought to light. The parts that Ren had locked up and buried as deep has he could. It might even have been a stretch to say they were parts of Ren at all. Tsuruga Ren was really just the stage name he took when he abandoned his life in the United States and fled to Japan 5 years ago. More accurately, they were parts of Hizuri Kuon, the man that Ren feared and hated more than anyone else, his former self.

"Cain-san!" Manaka squealed excitedly, ruining Ren's brief moment of relaxation. Opening his eyes he glared at her the best he could, hoping that she would finally take the hint and stay the hell away from him. Undaunted she continued, "I'm so sorry we had to do so many retakes because of me. Don't hate me OK?!"

"Didn't I tell you before? I could never hate my pet rodent." Cain responded in English, knowing full well that Manaka wouldn't understand a word of it. "It's a waste of energy. Now get the hell away from me."

"Talk to her in Japanese you Bastard." Murasame yelled across the room. "We all know you speak it."

After weeks of working together, this had become a pretty common exchange for the three of them, but today Ren wasn't in the mood. Pulling himself up right, Ren let a smile flow over Cain's face. Continuing on in English, Cain shifted all of his attention to Murasame and spoke with a sinister smile painted on his face. "What do you care trash? Today's the day I kill you on screen." Then tilting his head slightly to the left and letting his grin widen Cain switched to Japanese. "You die today."

"No Cain-san." Manaka corrected. "Murasame-san's character kills BJ, not the other way around."

Cain looked at her with pity. _Poor stupid little rodent. You really think that's how this story ends?_ In the beginning it was true Murasame's character was supposed to kill BJ, but as filming progressed the director had decided to film two endings; one where BJ was laid to rest once again and one where BJ finishes off the protagonist. Today they were filming the later.

With a grunt Ren stood and headed off towards the lunch table. He stopped short just as he was about to pass Murasame. Turning his body slightly and looming over his fellow actor, Ren let his face fill with malice. He locked eyes with the shorter man. "Tick tok, tick tok, tick tok. Be sure to figure out your last words before lunch ends." With that Cain Heel turned away and made for the lunch table, leaving Murasame to figure out what he had just said in English.

It wasn't that he was particularly hungry. In fact he would have preferred not to eat. But Ren had made a promise to eat properly while he was overseas. And the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her. So he grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of green tea before retreating to the far corner of the break room. He ate quickly and in silence, but took the time to take pictures of his disappearing sandwich every few bites. They were proof that he was eating like he promised.

"Ok. Lunch time is over folks." Director Konoe announced.

In response all of the actors and staff shuffled to their feet. None of them looked particularly happy to be venturing back outside, but there was work to be done and a movie to finish.

The background for the next scene was unremarkable, but then again, it was supposed to be. The final battle between the protagonist and BJ was a martial arts show down. Nothing should take away from the fight itself.

Taking their positions Ren and Murasame faced off. As the director prepared to call "action" Ren felt himself slipping further into the back of his mind. With Cain, Ren could maintain his presence, but BJ… was overwhelming.

"Action"

Both men moved simultaneously, Murasame like a trained fighter and BJ like a deadly puppet, pulled along by strings that no one could see. _Left. Drop. Kick to the torso. Block. Spin._ The moves played out in Ren's head as he watched BJ execute them. Then Murasame slipped.

Ren watched as BJ's foot connected full force with Murasame's shoulder. And in that moment, Ren lost control of BJ. He could only watch as BJ pursued Murasame with true murderous intent. The more he fought for control of his own body, the further Ren seemed slip into the background. Everything started to go black.

Murasame scrambled to regain his footing, but BJ just seemed to be faster…and better. They were off script. Way off script. And while he had pushed Cain into real fights before, something was different. Cain would have repositioned them, gotten them back on script to finish the scene. Murasame hated him, but Cain was a true professional. Something was wrong. And looking into BJ's eyes, Murasame finally figured out what it was. He saw the struggle in BJ's eyes and he saw the moment Ren's consciousness was fully consumed. And in that split second he knew that BJ was really going to kill him.

But that was also the moment that BJ stopped moving. Just a like a marionette hanging from its strings, he swayed slightly as his movement ceased.

Murasame stared up at BJ, not even sure he was still breathing as silence surrounded them. "Cain?" Murasame asked.

No response.

Murasame half walked, half scuttled away from the other man, his own chest heaving.

"Cain-san?" Director Konoe asked as he approached the frozen actor.

Again no response.

Hesitantly the director reached out and tapped BJ's shoulder. "Cain-san?" He repeated. Grabbing the larger man's shoulder and he shook him gently. Ren's body collapsed and the set burst to life as emergency services were called.

When the EMTs arrived they made quick work of moving the unconscious man into the ambulance. But when it was time to drive to the hospital, director Konoe went by himself, refusing to let anyone else come along. Not that anyone really wanted to spend more time around the terror that was Heel Cain. But something still seemed amiss to Murasame.

* * *

Meanwhile in Japan…

After being disqualified from an audition for the role of Momiji due to her hair color, Kyoko stood confidently facing Producer Kuresaki and the rest of the panel for the audition. After declaring her intentions to preform her version of the ninja Momiji even if she couldn't have the role, everyone waited for the producer to make a decision. Would he let her proceed with her demonstration? Borrowing some of Momiji's inner strength the teen actress's eyes pierced the panel of judges, daring them to deny her this request. The promise of violence seemed to wrap itself around the slender woman and the longer the producer waited, the heavier the air of tension around her seemed to be.

"Fine. But if you want this role, you are going to have to make up for your lack of preparation. A ninja for a period drama simply cannot have an unnatural hair color. Now then…" The producer's words trailed off for a moment as he thought of something. "Approach us as Momiji would."

For a moment Kyoko didn't move. Behind her Morizumi Kimiko, another applicant for the role of Momiji, glared. _This girl forces her way back in and now she isn't going to the respond to the producer's request. What is she an idiot?_ It was almost funny and Kimiko's lips started to twitch up into a smile before Kyoko spoke.

"I would like to… but I don't know who you are."

The producer pointed to the name plates set out before the panel of judges and asked with a humorless expression, "If you cannot read these name plates how could you possibly be able to the read the script?"

"That's not what I meant." Kyoko answered hastily as her composure slipped. "I know that Koga-san is Sakanoue Shizuma who is the samurai Momiji serves and adores." A slight blush rose up her cheeks. "But who are the rest of you? Does Momiji know you? Does she perceive you to be a threat to Sakanoue-sama? Are you allies? What are your stations? Do you merit respect? Are you fellow ninja?"

The producer looked at her thoughtfully while all other eyes fixed on him, waiting for a response. "Sakanoue-san is sitting alone. For the time being you may think of Director Morizumi and Futahashi-san as part of the back drop." He gestured to the men behind the table.

"And you Producer Kuresaki?"

"I am a samurai visiting your master."

With a quick nod Kyoko closed her eyes and counted down. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and when she opened her eyes Momiji's soul had taken its place inside Kyoko's body. Checking her surroundings, Momiji started forward. Her walk wasn't fast but it wasn't slow either. She just placed one foot in front of the other, but something was different from when she had first walked into the auditorium. Her movements were smoother somehow, though no one watching her could quite explain why. Even though her eyes constantly scanned her surroundings they didn't flicker back and forth. She seemed aware of everything, but concerned about nothing.

That was, until she got within 4 feet of her master and the visiting samurai. She felt more than saw the producer's face change. He pretended to recognize her as an enemy and went for the wooden sword on his hip. Without flinching she turned to face the new challenger, her hands already gripping the hilts of the wooden short shorts on her hips. By the time the producer had raised his sword for the first attack, Momiji had her own swords held like a cross before her to take the impact of the much larger man's full downward swing. The impact forced her backwards a step, but she was instantly on the offensive, using her smaller size to step under the producer's follow up swing.

"Who do you serve?! Tell me!" The producer demanded as they crossed swords once again, his natural strength overwhelming the tiny female ninja. In response she smiled. Forced into a corner and barley holding her own, she smiled. It started out small, but the more intense the exchange got, the broader the smile got. The more desperate her situation became, the happier Momiji seemed to be.

"Who do you serve?!" The producer's voice boomed.

A laugh escaped Momiji's throat and the producer drew back, thinking he had pushed the young woman too far. Her face however, remained defiant, sporting a fearsome smile. As he took another step back a full throated laugh followed him. "You think yourself worthy of my master's name?" Momiji chortled. "You can't even beat me. What business could you possibly have with my master?"

Angry now, the producer stepped forward and the two clashed once again.

Knocking one of her short swords away and pinning the tiny ninja to the ground, the producer stopped momentarily. His breath was ragged as he stared into Momiji's bright amber eyes. Forcing her hips to the ground with his body weight, he kneeled across her body and held her empty hand above her head with one hand. In his other hand his sword lay across her throat.

"Tell. Me. Who. Your. Master. Is." He demanded. But she just shook her head, almost as if she were telling him to just cut her throat and get it over with. "Why not?!" He asked in exasperation.

Her amber eyes sparkled and her face flooded with an expression that could only be described as triumph. "A tool should never betray its master." She responded with a flare of condescension in her tone.

That was all it took for everything to click into place for the producer. With the other girls, he had forced them to give up a name in the fight and if it was Sakanoue's he had eliminated them. He never expected one of the actresses to refuse to give a name at all. The idea was always to prove that they understood that they couldn't betray Sakanoue, but to be so loyal as to give up her life to protect her master's name... The tiny woman beneath him was a force to be reckoned with. With that thought, the producer moved to get up off of the fallen actress. But Momiji was still in the driver's seat.

The moment the producer shifted his weight off of her she moved, flipping him to the ground and placing her own blade against his throat. Startled, he looked into the eyes of a woman who knew she was going to kill him. The producer's heart pounded and his breath caught in his throat as he realized his mistake.

"Wait Momiji." A voice rang out behind them. Koga Hiromune's voice, or was it Sakanoue's voice? Either way Momiji froze and waited for her master's orders. Her face said clearly that she wanted the man beneath her dead. She thought he was a threat that needed to be eliminated. But if her master said otherwise she would stay her hand.

"Cut!" Another voice boomed. With that word Momiji vanished, replaced by a very, very embarrassed Kyoko. Rolling off of the director into a full bow, she started apologizing vehemently for overstepping her bounds and being so rude to the group. Somewhere in the long winded and overly scatterbrained rant she also managed to thank them for letting her demonstrate her Momiji. Actually, she managed to say it about 6 times before the producer regained enough composure to stop the young actress and convince her to stand back up.

"Fine." The producer spoke without even consulting the other judges. "You can partake in the next portion of the audition. Go to waiting room 3. We will call you and the others who advanced when we are ready for you."

Bowing politely to each of the men in the room Kyoko left in search of her temporary manager, Yashiro Yukihito, and the bottle of water she was sure he had on him. As she walked away the room fell silent until Hiromune spoke. "Damn. That was intense. Way more intense than we need her to be for the action scenes in this romance drama. But… I really want to know what else that little girl has in store for us. Because whoever that was that you just fought, it wasn't that overly polite actress. And it sure as hell wasn't any of her past characters either. Mio and Natsu are both too cold for my personal tastes but Momiji is feisty." The last word he spoke with reverence as he licked his lips.

The director walked up and claped the producer on the shoulder. "And you almost disqualified her because of her hair…"

Happy with herself, Kyoko headed to the waiting room with a skip in her step after reporting in to Yashiro. Knocking lightly before entering, she stepped inside to see the other finalists for the part of Momiji.

By the looks of things, the other girls had encountered some difficulties with the first part of the re-audition. There were only two other girls left in the running for the role of Momiji. Takako Eno and Morizumi Kimiko were all that were left. And judging by the condition of their hands, the producer hadn't gone easy on them either.

Looking past her competition, Kyoko saw Kotonami Kanae and crossed the room in a bound. "MOoo-KOoo!" She yelled, excited to see her best friend. "You got the Chidori role didn't you?!"

"Of course I did. I told you I would." Kanae responed. _Not that I wanted the role. The president made me audition for this if you recall Kyoko?_ Of course with a friend like Kyoko, Kanae knew better than to add the last part out loud.

"I really want to co-star with you Moko!" Kyoko exclaimed wrapping her arms around her friend, who made no move to hug her back. In fact the only reason that Kyoko auditioned for the part of Momiji was to be in the same production as her best friend. "You're going to be the most beautiful Chidori! They're so lucky to have you!" Kyoko continued as she slowly melted into a puddle on the floor without releasing her hold on Kanae's waist. She looked up at her raven haired friend with an expression filled with admiration, worship, and envy.

Glaring, Kanae started lecturing Kyoko about proper behavior at an audition. "Don't embarrass yourself like this in public. I know you just can't help yourself when we are at LME but you can't possibly act this way filming your dramas."

"But I do…"

After another ice cold glare from Kanae, Kyoko finally settled into a chair next to her friend. Situating the fake short swords at her waist she was surprised when her bag started vibrating. She fished into the inner pocket to pull out her bright pink phone with a perplexed look on her face. The phone in her hand was still, but her bag continued to vibrate. As the realization hit her that it must be Setsuka's phone, Kyoko panicked, rooting through her bag to pull out a slim black phone.

The other girls in the room stared at her in irritation, but it didn't matter to Kyoko. Cain was calling his beloved little sister Setsuka. And Setsuka would never miss a call from her brother that she loved more than anything else on the planet. After all there were only 5 rules to playing Setsuka.

1) Brother comes first.

2) Brother comes second.

3) Brother comes third.

4) Brother comes fourth.

5) Brother comes in 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th too.

"Brother." Kyoko purred into the phone in English, catching her audience off guard. The moment Kyoko became Setsuka everything about her changed: her voice, her mannerisms, her posture.

"Actually, Setsuka-san this is Murasame." The voice on the other end of the line began.

Figuring out that the conversation needed to switch to Japanese Setsuka responded. "And you have my brother's phone why exactly Murasame?" She left off the honorific intentionally.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this…"

"Just spit it out already." Setsu retorted in an uninterested voice.

"Cain was just taken to the hospital in an ambulance."

"What did you say?!" Setsuka voice dropped. Panic, concern, and desperation laced her normally sultry voice. "What happened to my brother Murasame?!"

"We don't know anything yet, Setsuka-san."

"How can you not know what happened?!"

"We were filming a fight scene when he just stopped moving. He doesn't look injured but he isn't responding either."

"Why do you have his phone? Are you with him? Can I talk to him?" Setsuka's voice dropped to almost a whisper. As tears started rolling down her cheeks. "How can this be happening again?"

This wasn't the first time that Ren had become unresponsive. It had happened before when he was filming for the TV drama Dark Moon. They didn't know what caused it then and they didn't know why he suddenly woke up either. The thought of Ren never waking up again petrified Kyoko. Sure she was acting as Setsuka, but Ren was her friend and mentor. She absolutely could not lose him. " _And you love him"_ a soft voice reminded her. Where the voice came from… even Kyoko didn't know. Maybe a grudge spirit, maybe her inner fairies, but either way she couldn't deny the truth in its words. Not anymore. He had to be Ok.

"Setsuka-san." Murasame's gentle voice called though the phone laying forgotten in her hand. "Setsuka-san. Are you still there?" He hated Cain, but aside from being overly attached to her brother, Murasame didn't have a problem with Setsuka.

"I'm here." She whispered back.

"Director Konoe is with Cain. I was really just calling to tell you that you can find out more about your brothers condition from him."

"Thank you." She whispered before hanging up and going through the contacts on the phone. Finding Director Konoe, she pressed send and prayed that when he picked up he would tell her it was all a lie. Nothing else in the world mattered in the moment. _What if he doesn't wake up?_

* * *

 **A/N: This is my first attempt at fanfiction so I hope you all liked it. I have a number of additional chapters outlined and I intend to upload them as they get fleshed out but critiques or suggestions are invited. I hope to use any comments/reviews to improve future works.**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	2. Chapter 2: The Phone Call

Chapter 2: The Phone Call

 **The Story so far: After collapsing on the set of Tragic Marker in Guam, Ren has been rushed to the hospital. Back in Japan, Kyoko has advanced to the next stage of her audition, but will she be able to continue as she waits to find out what happened to Ren?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

* * *

Somewhere in Guam…

Director Konoe fidgeted while he stared at his phone, willing the small device to give him some indication of what he should do. Once the paramedics had determined that Heel Cain, aka. Tsuruga Ren, was physically ok he had been bumped in priority by several other patients. So, after what felt like days, but was probably only an hour or so, the doctor came into the little curtained off area to check on Cain. During that time Director Konoe still hadn't figured out who to call about Ren's condition. He was of course worried about Ren, but he was also worried about keeping his identity safe from the rest of the cast and staff working on Tragic Marker. After all, physically Ren was fine…

When the doctor started asking the director for information about Cain, Konoe froze. "Um, no I don't know if this has happened before."

"So you don't know if its related to his eyes?" the doctor asked.

"Huh? No. Is there something wrong with his eyes? He didn't disclose any medical issues when he signed on for the project."

The doctor sighed. "Do you know anyone I can call to talk to about his medical history? Family of any kind? Mother? Father? Siblings?"

Director Konoe flipped open his phone. That was it. He would call Setsuka, aka. Kyoko, Cain's little sister. Realizing his phone had been off, he hit the power button and waited impatiently for the device to turn on. No sooner was it on than he saw 6 missed calls from Setsuka. It looked like she had been calling every 5 minutes for the last half an hour. Not wasting the time to listen to her messages he called her back.

"Director Konoe! Why haven't you been answering your phone?! Murasame-san called me and told me something happened, but he didn't really know what happened. Is he ok? Did he wake up?" Kyoko continued to talk even as Director Konoe held the phone away from his ear for fear of her panicked shrieks damaging his ears.

Once the phone fell silent he put it back up to his ear. "Kyoko-san? Have you calmed down now?" Considering how low tension Setsuka was, it was amazing how hyperactive Kyoko was.

"Yes." Replied a timid voice on the other end of the line.

"Physically Tsuruga-san seems to be fine. But the doctor wants to speak to you about him."

"Can I talk to Tsuruga-san first?"

Director Konoe took the phone away from his ear to address the doctor. After a short discussion where the doctor made it quite clear he didn't like having his time wasted, Konoe returned to his conversation with Kyoko. "Kyoko-san. Tsuruga-san isn't responsive right now. I'm going to put you on speaker phone so Tsuruga-san can hear, but the doctor is the one you will actually be talking to."

"Ok." Kyoko's voice drifted out of the phone as Director Konoe set it on a small table near Ren then excused himself.

"First," the doctor began, "Has this ever happened before?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what triggered it?"

"Not exactly. I was nearby filming for a different drama. But from what I heard they were filming a car chase and Tsuruga-san insisted on doing his own stunt. Apparently a little boy ran out into the street and to avoid him both cars had to make some pretty scary evasive maneuvers. Both cars end up breaking lose after they passed the boy and spinning to a stop. When the emergency crews reached them, both Tsuruga-san and the stunt driver were ok, but Tsuruga-san wasn't responding to anything."

 _Who keeps saying my name? I'm Tsuruga aren't I? Are you talking to me?_

"I see. And how long did the condition last? Did it clear up on its own? Or was he given any kind of treatment?"

"By the time I got there Tsuruga-san had been like that for nearly 10 minutes. They were just about ready to take him to the hospital when I got there, but he… um… woke up right before the ambulance pulled up next to him."

"So no treatment was administered?"

"No. I'm pretty sure Tsuruga-san just came to on his own."

 _I know that voice. Why can't I place it? Why is it so far away?_

"And can you tell me anything about the condition of his eyes?"

"His eyes? Um… Tsuruga-san has the most beautiful expressive eyes I've ever seen." Kyoko stopped for a moment realizing the implications of what the doctor was asking her. "What's wrong with his eyes?!"

The doctor paused for a moment. "I'm not exactly sure how a blind man can have expressive eyes." He responded flatly.

 _I'm blind? Is that why its so dark? But if I was blind I would be used to the dark wouldn't I? But I'm pretty sure I'm afraid of this place. This place that smells like blood and death…and cleaning solution?_

"Tsuruga-san isn't blind Sensei." Kyoko corrected as her earlier panic drained from her voice. "If he collapsed on set in full make up he probably still has BJ's contacts in."

"Contacts?" The doctor replied walking back to the head of the bed and examining Ren's eyes closely for the first time. With eyes that cloudy, the doctor had assumed the young man before him had been blind for a considerable amount of time. Confirming that Ren was in fact still wearing contacts the doctor pulled in a nurse to remove them. "Why on earth was he wearing contacts that make him look blind?"

"You'd have to ask the director why he picked that look." But the director in question had left the room.

 _So I'm not blind? Then why is it so dark? Why won't anyone answer my questions? Who are you? Where are you?_

"Oh. My. God." The nurse sputtered as she got a glimpse of Ren's real eyes. When she was done she had revealed two stunning blue-green eyes, which much to the doctor's relief, reacted exactly like they were supposed to in response to the small pen light in his hand. "How can eyes be that hauntingly beautiful on an unconscious man?" She whispered as she left.

Kyoko couldn't help herself as pride swelled in her voice. "Because my senpai is amazing."

"Senpai?" The doctor questioned. "I thought he was your brother. But come to think of it his chart says his name is Heel Cain and you've been calling him Tsuruga-san this whole time."

"Well um…" Kyoko began nervously as she glanced around her for eavesdroppers. "Tsuruga-san is an actor. And I'm not really supposed to be telling anyone this, but I think its important… So hopefully he won't be mad when he wakes up… Right now he is working under a different stage same. So everyone he is working with at the moment will call him Heel Cain. But because living full time as someone other than yourself is really hard, my boss assigned me the role of Heel Setsuka. Setsuka is Cain's little sister, but she partially functions as his manager. Making sure he eats properly and stuff like that. But I couldn't make my schedule work for the last two weeks of filming and he promised me he would be fine on his own… So… Tsuruga-san is all by himself right now." Her considerable guilt was clear in in every word she spoke. Guilt for sharing his secret. Guilt for not being there for him. Guilt for falling in love with Ren even though she promised she would never let the emotion cloud her judgement ever again.

 _Humm… That sounds familiar._

"Unfortunately knowing that you aren't actually family I can't discuss his condition with you further…um… miss?"

"Mogami Kyoko." She supplied.

 _Mogami Kyoko…Mogami-san…She seems really… warm. Like I know her. Like she's important. And she does seem to know a lot about me._

"Well I appreciate you sharing everything you know Mogami-san. And I will at least call you back to let you know when… Tsuru-san… wakes up."

"Oh. Ok. I understand. But…umm… can I talk to him for a moment?"

 _Talk to me? You want to talk to me Kyoko-chan? Huh? Why is it chan? Her name sounds so familiar. But are we close enough for me to call her that?*_

"That's fine. I'll leave the phone open and you just hang up when you are done talking to him."

"Thank you doctor. Oh. And his name is actually Tsuruga Ren."

 _That's right. My name is Tsuruga Ren. And Mogami Kyoko is my… Kyoko is my…_

 _ **No.**_ A second voice reverberated through the darkness. _**She isn't yours. She is ours. My Kyoko-chan and your Mogami-san. You can't be so greedy Ren.**_

"Kyoko-chan?" Ren's voice rasped from his dry throat as the doctor stopped in his tracks, one foot already out of the small curtained area.

"You woke up!" Amplified by happiness and only partially drowned in tears, Kyoko's voice was the only thing that mattered to Ren. He grabbed on to it for all he was worth, crawling forward through the darkness towards the pin prick of light that had just appeared. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep moving, the darkness seeming to cling to him like tar and every handhold he found disintegrating under his touch, but for her... He would keep struggling. He would find his way through the dark. _I'm coming back to you Kyoko. I promise._

"Mogami-san," The doctor interjected, "I need to talk to Tsuruga-san privately now so I'm hanging up."

"No wait!" Two voices spoke as one knowing that neither one of them could let the other go yet. But it was too late. Kyoko's words died as the doctor flipped the phone closed.

"Now than Tsuruga-san." the doctor began.

* * *

At that same moment in Japan…

Kyoko stared in disbelief at Setsuka's phone. The little black device looked back at her as if taunting her. Across the room, nervously huddled as close to the door as possible her rivals for the role of Momiji shivered, somehow frozen by forces they couldn't see. But Kyoko could see them. Round and round her grudge spirits spun creating a vortex. If only the doctor were closer to her… _Oh well_

Now assured that Ren was at least awake she knew she needed to pull herself together. _Not that he can take care of himself under normal circumstances…_ Otherwise Ren would be angry with her when he got back. If there was one truth about Ren, it was that he wouldn't let anything get in the way of acting. And if asked, he would probably give the same answer. It would be a lie though, because there was in fact one thing more important to Ren than acting; a slender teenage actress by the name of Mogami Kyoko.

Settling back into her seat next to Kanae, Kyoko tried to compose herself. Unperturbed by Kyoko's grudge spirits due to an immunity hard won through constant exposure, Kanae pulled a comb and a mirror out of her bag and set to work trying to fix Kyoko's appearance.

Three minutes later Kanae couldn't take it anymore. "So?" She prompted staring at her friend's downturned face.

"I can't tell you." Kyoko replied sheepishly.

Kanae let out a less than flattering "humf" sound. It was true that between the rapid changes in personality and volume it was rather hard to track the conversation using just what was said by Kyoko. And she had taken the call huddled in the far corner of the room under a writing desk… so it was probably supposed to be private. But she had opened by screaming into the phone, "Is he ok? Did he wake up?" and for Kyoko to be that panicked "he" could only mean one man, Tsuruga Ren. And as another actress who worked at LME, hearing anything potentially news worthy about the agencies top star, Kanae just had to know. Actually it was surprising the other girls in the room weren't also trying to dredge information out of the Kyoko about what was going on. _They're probably so freaked out by Kyoko's behavior they don't even know how to react._

Before Kanae could pry further information from her friend, the producer appeared in the doorway. "This way." He said without preamble and turned on his heel without waiting for the girls to move.

Startled the girls rose to their feet and followed the producer out the door. Walking briskly down the halls, they made enough turns that Kyoko was starting to feel like she needed a map before he finally ushered them in a small room with stage. This time only Producer Kuresaki, Director Morizumi, and Koga Hiromune were present. They stood in front of an indoor set that Kyoko instantly recognized from the Sacred Lotus of the Mire manga she had read in preparation for her audition.

"Very well. I will now begin explaining the second stage of the audition." The producer began. "At this point you Momiji hopefuls should be familiar with Koga Hiromune and Kotonami Kanae who will respectively be playing Sakanoue and Chidori." The girls all nodded. "Then since you are all so well acquainted, we will run each of you through the most sensitive and technically difficult scene in the drama. Then we will select whoever best meshes with our previously acquired talents."

* * *

A few minutes earlier in Guam…

"It seems that your situation is a bit sensitive." The doctor continued as he set down Director Konoe's phone and turned to look at Ren. "And I will take care of you, but I think we need to have a discussion first. For starters how about your legal name so I can look up your medical insurance?"

Stormy eyes stared back at the doctor. "Its impolite to ask for someone's name before giving your own doctor." Ren's voice was flat. It held no emotion all, but it didn't need to. Ren's expression said everything. He was angry.

The doctor took a half step back without thinking. The man lying in the hospital bed before him hardly seemed menacing while asleep, but now that the man was awake… He now understood what Mogami-san had said about having expressive eyes. Ren's face itself was pleasant enough with its forced smile securely in place, but his eyes alone conveyed a very strong message. _You shouldn't have hung up the phone._

"Ah… Um… Yes well your health comes first." The doctor responded to the unspoken words forgetting entirely that Ren had said anything at all.

"Hizuri Kuon." Ren replied. The doctor just continued to look at him blankly. "My legal name is Hizuri Kuon. And if you tell another soul my career is over. Do You Understand?" The last words were spoken one syllable at a time.

"Um… Yes." The look in Ren's eyes softened as the doctor continued. "I understand the sensitivity of the situation. Given that, should I bring in the man who accompanied you to the hospital to discuss your condition once we are done?"

It didn't take long to figure out from the doctor's description that only Director Konoe had accompanied Ren to the hospital. Ren explained their relationship to the doctor and that he would need to provide the director with a timeline for his recovery. Then he thought of something else. "Has the director seen my eyes? Was he present for that conversation?" The concern in his voice was met by a surprised shake of the doctor's head. _Then I guess I'm still safe. The director doesn't know._

After Ren confirmed that the natural color of his eyes was not, and should not become, public knowledge he and the doctor started to discuss what was actually wrong with him. "How much of the earlier conversation were you actually…" The doctor made a hand gesture as if searching for the right word. "Aware for."

"I came to around the time you were asking Mogami-san about how I came out of the condition last time…" Ren paused awkwardly then pushed ahead with a confession he could never make to anyone other than a doctor. "What she said wasn't entirely right though. I didn't wake up on my own. She pulled me out of the darkness."

His eyes glazed over as if looking at someplace far away. "I was in such a dark place. And it felt like… I was submerged in something. The only thing I saw was an image from my past. There was so much blood. He was broken and bloody. And she held him as the last breath escaped his body. And I just stood there frozen in place." Shaking his head as if to clear the image away Ren continued. "Then I heard a voice. Mogami-san's voice. She held my hand while she called me back to her…" His voice faded away, his longing for the woman evident in his tone.

Ren looked back up at the doctor, his eyes now soft as tears threatened to spill forth "She didn't abandon us. She had seen some of our darkness, but didn't abandon us. She brought us back."

The doctor looked at the young man with a pained expression. The handsome young actor in front of him didn't even realize his mistake until the doctor spoke again in a cautious tone. "Huzuri-san, is there a history of mental illness in your family?"

 _I said "us"_ _didn't I Kuon?_

The second voice laughed in their head. _**Yes Ren. You certainly did.**_

After a prolonged silence the doctor spoke again. "I'd like to keep you for 72 hours and have you meet with the doctors at a proper psychiatric facility."

Ren just blinked up at him. _Wait. What is happening? I was just talking about Kyoko._

 _ **Our Kyoko. And our Darkness.**_ Kuon answered.

"I understand." Ren started with hesitation. "But I have a couple of conditions. This is voluntary isn't it?"

"Yes. From what I can tell you are not a threat to yourself or others so this is voluntary."

"Ok. But I can't hold up production for 3 days. I'll only agree to 48 hours." The doctor, surprised at Ren's reasonable response to being called mentally ill, nodded his head in agreement. "Also, no one I am currently filming with will be allowed to see me. After all my eyes are a secret." He paused. "One last thing. Before I am admitted, you will allow me to call back Mogami-san and explain the situation to her."

* * *

Back in Japan…

Kyoko stood frozen in the realization that 'the most sensitive and technically difficult scene in the drama' was a lo—lov—love scene. She and Kanae exchanged glances of empathy as the director carried on with his explanation of the blocking for the scene. In the back of her mind something had occurred to Kyoko; auditioning for a role in the same drama that Kanae had been assigned as part of the LoveMe Section _might_ involve something love related. But the part of her that had figured it out, conveniently neglected to mention anything until right at that moment. _NOOOooooOOOOoooo!_

Suddenly, Kyoko started vibrating. But she didn't unfreeze; she just continued to stare at the director with the most neutral face she could manage as she shook. After about 30 seconds a disgruntled Kanae pulled Setsuka's little black phone out of Kyokos waist band. "Director Konoe." She announced after reading the screen and flipped open the phone holding it back out to Kyoko. Kyoko didn't move as an indistinct voice came from the phone.

Glaring now, Kanae hit the speaker phone button and brought the entire group in on the conversation. "Hello." She said cheerfully while continuing to stare daggers at her frozen friend. _Trying to keep secrets from me? I bet this has to do with her call earlier. And that guy… Tsuruga. I'm sure this is his fault._

"You aren't Setsu." An angry male voice responded in English and Kanae faltered.

In the blink of an eye Kyoko was gone and Heel Setsuka stood before the group. "Brother, how good of you to call back." She spoke in English somehow mixing concern, boredom, and anger all in the same tone of voice.

Hiromune who also spoke English moved a little bit closer. _Interesting._ His eyes ran down Setsuka's body looking for any sign that the little actress was still in there. She wasn't. Setsuka may have used Kyoko's body, but there wasn't a trace of the actress left. _Very interesting._

"Forgive me." The angry voice was replaced a repentant one. "The doctor hung up on you before I could get the phone."

"I only forgive you because I love you so much, Brother." Setsuka's words were happier now. Yet every word made the group feel like they were listening to a very private conversation. The kind that would quickly turn into a chorus of sex noises if the two were left alone.

Kanae swallowed the lump forming in her throat and extended the phone back towards Setsuka. "Oh?" Setsuka giggled. "Are we embarrassing you Ko-Ta-Na-Mi-Sa-n?* Then you shouldn't have put us on speaker phone for the whole world to hear."

On the other end of the line Ren raised an eyebrow. _So somehow she ended up on speaker phone with Kanae? And whoever 'the whole world' is?_ The realization was sudden. _She is at her audition for Sacred Lotus._ "Well I don't want to keep you long Little Sister, but we were so rudely interrupted before. I hardly mind if your friend wants to join us though." Cain's best husky and seductive voice spilled from the phones little speakers.

Setsuka's smile spread across Kyoko's face and she licked her lips as if remembering the taste of her brother's skin. "So…" She prompted, not so much as reaching out for her phone. Instead she crossed her arms in front of her and hugged her own hips as she swayed subtlety. At the same time she looked at Kanae like she would be delicious.

Hiromune shivered as he realized he had stepped closer to Setsuka, his heart beat faster as the promise of sex rolled off of her in heady waves. Kanae simply collapsed on the floor. Sitting with her legs bent beneath her and angled off to the side she stared at the phone. It was as if she could see the man who propositioned her through the small device if she only looked hard enough. Kanae's English wasn't very good, but between the tone of voice and Setsuka's physical response, she was sure that she wanted nothing to do with whoever "Setsu" was talking to. _This isn't Tsuruga-san. Is this Kyoko's dangerous job. I had to audition for this drama and she had to deal with Him?! What was the president thinking?_

"So." Cain responded. "I'm alright but they're worried about my state of mind. I'm going to spend a couple of days in the hospital." He scoffed and his voice pitched slightly as he added in a pout. "Like its really a crime to love your little sister too much."

Taking that as instruction for how to deal with the cast of Tragic Marker, Kyoko coaxed Setsuka to bring the conversation to an end. Now that Ren himself had confirmed he was alright Kyoko knew she needed to get back on task for the audition. _As if there is any way to recover from this. Maybe Ren's new therapist can help me get over the trauma of failing this audition._ Inside Setsuka's shell Kyoko started to brood and little wisps of grudge spirits began to drift around her. "So true Brother. Its hardly a crime at all. They just don't understand how close we really are. Want me to come cuddle with you in the loony bin?"

"Unfortunately, Setsu, I don't think they'll let you in. You'll just have to wait till Wednesday."

Sighing Setsuka worried at her lower lip in irritation. "Fine." She finally said with a huff. "I'll see you Wednesday." Then she reached down and pulled her phone from Kanae's limp hands. With a sharp movement she flipped the top closed.

For 5 seconds no one moved.

"I'm SOOOOooooOOOOooo Sorry!" Kyoko screeched as she melted into a full bow on the floor. "I didn't mean to. I found out he went to the hospital and I was worried because they said he hadn't woken up. Then he woke up." Sob. "But the doctor hung up on me." Sob. "And I just really needed to know he was Ok." Sob. "I'm SOOooOOoo sorry I interfered with audition." Sob. "I'll go now…"

With that Kyoko rose to like a ghost and tried her best to become transparent as she stumbled on shaky legs towards the door.

"Absolutely not." Producer Kuresaki spoke in an irritated tone. "You forced your way back into this audition. I will not be letting you leave part way through."

* * *

 **A/N: Here is Chapter 2… Which I didn't intend to finish so quickly… but I was so excited to see someone not only read my first chapter but left a thoughtful comment (and asked for more chapters) that I just could help but sit down and work on it.**

 **Thanks for reading everyone.**

 ***Chan is used as a term of endearment in this case.**

 ***In case this seemed odd to anyone, this is broken down into parts like it would be in Japanese.** **「こたなみさん」**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	3. Chapter 3: Don't Miss Your Cue

Chapter 3: Don't Miss Your Cue

 **The Story so far: Ren has agreed to voluntarily spend the next two days in a psychiatric facility and now prepares to move into his new room. Back in Japan Kyoko now faces an angry producer after interrupting his audition. She's pretty sure retribution will be swift and very painful.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

* * *

Somewhere in Japan…

Kyoko looked up at the producer sheepishly, trying to hide behind her bright colored hair. "I'm sorry." She said again as she straightened out into a proper standing bow with her hands clasped in front of her.

"I didn't dismiss you from the audition again did I?" Producer Kuresaki questioned.

"No sir."

"Then why would you presume that you could leave?"

Kyoko looked up with tears in her eyes. "If someone acted like that during an audition, I imagine that any producer would dismiss them. I wouldn't even be surprised if an already selected actress was fired for such an outburst."

"Yes. I imagine a personal outburst like that would impact an actress's chance of being selected for a role." Kyoko let out an involuntary whimper as the producer spoke. "However, that wasn't a personal outburst was it?"

Kyoko blinked, her face still facing the floor. "No. I guess not. It was for a job I took before the audition."

"And if Kotanami-san didn't answer the phone would you have picked up?"

"No sir."

"Then you will be continuing with the rest of the audition without interruption will you not?"

"Yes sir."

"Very good. Stand up then." With that the producer nodded to the director to resume explaining the scene and Kyoko moved back to her original position in front of the stage. Takako Eno and Morizumi Kimiko eyed her warily. Both were confident in their acting skills and when she had first walked in they had dismissed her as some no name start up. Hearing that she was a talent under LME had peaked their interest, but she was quickly written off as being a well-connected hack after being eliminated before the real audition even started. Now though, they looked at her with apprehension. She was erratic, but regardless of which personality was real, Kyoko or Setsuka, the teen's transformations were amazingly good.

"Well that about covers it." Director Morizumi said as he wrapped up his explanation of the scene. "So let's get started. Koga-san, Kotanami-san, please take you places. And Takako-san, since we had planned to keep order of the audition the same you will go first."

Two of the three actors bowed slightly in response and moved to their positions on the set. Hiromune sat in the middle of the tatami mat floor facing a fire pit with his long legs crossed in front of him. His sword had been removed from his waist and now lay a few inches from his left thigh. Removed but not discarded. At a moment's notice he would be on his feet ready to fight. Or at least look like he was ready to fight.

That is if the girls ever got their act together. What made this part of the audition hard was that there were no lines. There would be a few in the actual shot but for now the idea was to complete the entire scene without ever having to say a word. Kanae seemed accepting of the idea even though she had been told about it at the same time as the Momiji candidates. Eno however, was arguing with the director.

Hearing a sigh behind him Hiromune leaned back in his spot, dropping his back to the floor and looking behind him without ever uncrossing his legs. He spotted Kanae sitting uncomfortably on her knees as she waited for Eno. _The raven haired beauty really is nice to look at. But she's clearly an ice princess._ He turned his head to watch the argument unfold. _Give it up already. Even if the director gives in the producer won't. I've never seen the man concede anything… except to her._ His eyes shifted to Kyoko who looked expectantly at the stage.

"You look awfully excited to watch the scene." Hiromune said, addressing Kyoko. "If you want to see me act that badly, I can always give you a private demonstration." He smiled at her with the bad boy smile he had spent years cultivating; the one that said 'once you've had me no other man compares'.

"Thank you very much for offering." Kyoko replied happily. "But I'm really just excited to see Moko-san act. I really want to co-star with her because we haven't gotten to act together since our first commercial."

Frowning slightly, Hiromune could hear Kanae snickering behind him as Kyoko looked back at him totally unaffected by his charms. He rotated his head back to look at Kanae again. Her face was flushed and she was clearly having a hard time containing her laughter. "Care to let me in on the joke?"

"Oh nothing. Its just funny that you think you have a chance with LoveMe Member Number One." Kanae managed to explain as her laughter tapered off. "She wouldn't know you were hitting on her if you explained it to her upfront."

"LoveMe Member?" Kanae simply waved off his question as Eno finally took her place on the stage next to Kanae.

"Shall we?" Producer Kuresaki asked, his displeasure at the delay clear in his tone.

Both of the actresses on stage straightened themselves out, sitting properly in seiza.*Then Hiromune pushed himself back up into a seated position to find Kyoko staring past him with a confused look on her face. "What?" He couldn't stop himself from asking even as the director raised his hand and started to count down the start of the scene. Kyoko just shook her head and turned her stunning golden eyes back to Kanae and Eno.

* * *

The scene starts…

The samurai Sakanoue Shizuma sat in the space Koga Hiromune had occupied just a moment before. His hands rested comfortably on his knees and somehow Hiromune's body looked bigger. Sakanoue sat up straighter and opened his eyes to watch the imagined fire before him. He noticed the arrival of Momiji and Chidori, his eyes sliding to the side as if expecting them to enter his peripheral vision.

He waited maybe 30 seconds, but neither woman made any movement to enter the room. Hiromune could tell just by watching his audience what the women behind him were doing. It was one of the reasons he was considered to be one of the top actor's in the country. The women he dated seemed to think that he just naturally knew what they wanted, but that wasn't it. Constant attention to detail is what kept him at the top of his game both professionally and personally.

 _Now what am I supposed to do?_ Hiromune questioned himself. _I'm not allowed to speak to invite them in and if I turn around or get up the blocking is ruined._ Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Kyoko making a strange movement with her head over and over. He couldn't shift his gaze to directly look at her, but by the 4th movement he had pieced together what she was doing. She was looking back over her shoulder. But that was quite right. Her eyes stayed fix on the scene. _Its almost like she's encouraging someone to move… She's trying to tell Momiji to enter! She knows I can't make another move._

However, with eyes for no one but Hiromune, Eno sat still as a statue refusing to make Momiji move until she saw a clear cue from Sakanoue that she had been noticed and should approach. Kyoko's silent gestures were unheeded.

Kanae, playing Chidori, looked back and forth between Sakanoue and Momiji almost helplessly. In the set up for the scene it was stated that Chidori had agreed to follow Momiji home and would let her handle Sakanoue when they returned. The girls had left home for some reason or another and Sakanoue had not been pleased by their disappearance. As the ninja who served him, Momiji was supposed to incur her master's wrath in place of Chidori, the nobelman's daughter who had decided to dedicate herself to the samurai. The scene didn't work unless Momiji moved.

Trying another approach, Kyoko looked to Hiromune. She shifted her body position to match his then leaned heavily to the left as if picking up his sword. No sooner had Kyoko finished the movement than she saw Sakanoue make the same move. And Momiji sprang to life. _Thank you Kyoko-san._ Hiromune thought to himself as the scene finally started to progress.

Momiji and Chidori both stood and moved toward Sakanoue. He felt them approach and released the grip on his sword to indicate he recognized that they were not a threat to him. Momiji moved in front of him and dropped to one knee in an informal bow. Chidori moved to his right side and settled down next to him.

And that was a far as they made it before the director let out an exasperated "Cut!"

All three of the actors on stage turned to look at him, but only one was foolish enough to say what they were all thinking. "Why did you stop us?" Eno asked in irritation. "We had barely started."

Director Morizumi looked at his niece, Kimiko, and asked if she wanted to explain for him since her turn was next. She responded that Eno had obviously missed her cue. But when asked how Eno should have been able to tell that she had been noticed by Sakanoue, Kimiko couldn't quite come up with answer. Kyoko stepped in to the save the floundering actress, mentioning that while it was quite clear to the audience that the girls had been noticed, Sakanoue's movements were very subtle from the back. She suggested the director have a visual cue from behind the camera to let Momiji know what was going on.

"I see no reason why Takako-san should be excused for missing such obvious cues." Producer Kuresaki interjected in a merciless tone. "The scene was already ruined from the moment she sat down next to Kanae."

Kimiko's left eye twitched slightly. "Could you please explain what you mean?" She managed to say in a voice that was almost polite. _What is wrong with this producer? She moved exactly like she was told to in blocking._

The producer sighed. "Show her what I mean Kyoko-san."

"Huh?" Kyoko replied pointing at herself.

"I would not have noticed your confused expression if Koga-san had not commented on it. However, you also knew something was off before the scene even started. So show us how to fix it."

Kyoko blushed slightly and bowed to the producer before moving off towards Kanae. She grabbed Kanae's arm and gently pulled her off stage while Hiromune repositioned himself. Miffed, both Kimiko and Eno settled down in front of the stage by the director and producer.

* * *

The scene starts again…

Once again Sakanoue sat before the imagined fire, his hands resting on his knees. In his mind he watched as the flames danced before him until he sensed someone behind him. His eyes slid to the side once again in anticipation of Momiji and Chidori's arrival, only this time he actually heard movement.

Behind Sakanoue, Momiji and Chidori had entered the room. Chidori smoothly lowered herself into seiza but Momiji didn't follow her lead. The ninja dropped her left knee to the floor, her right thigh held parallel to the ground in front of her. Neither foot rested flat on the floor, instead they remained flexed in anticipation of movement. Her hands rested on her right thigh close to her hip as she bowed her head in respect.

As if recognizing the new occupants of the room without ever turning around, Sakanoue shifted his eyes back to the imagined fire. He relaxed his shoulders slightly in response to the renewed silence behind him. Out of the corner of Momiji's downturned eyes she followed the slump in Sakanoue's shoulders and raised her head to look at her master's back as the movement completed.

Chidori looked steadily at the wall infront of her until Momiji rose fluidly to her feet and padded over to Sakanoue. Instead of scanning her surroundings like she had in the first stage of the audition, Kyoko focused Momiji's amber eyes unflinchingly on the samurai before her. She had disobeyed her master and her only choice was to face his wrath.

As she approached, Momiji pulled her short swords from her waist holding each by the sheath of the sword just below the blade guard. She crossed the swords in front of her as she neared her master and knelt off to his left side. Turning towards him, she bowed, her forehead touching the floor, and extended her arms as far as she could. She released the crossed swords at her master's side and withdrew her arms. Sitting up again she peered hesitantly at her master from under the veil of hair that covered her downturned face.

Barely a step behind Momiji, Chidori had risen to her feet as well. She didn't walk so much, as she shuffled to Sakanoue's right side. Both women had expected Sakanoue to lash out at Momiji with his sheathed sword, but he just looked at her disapprovingly. Feeling as though they had somehow been forgiven, Chidori knelt at Sakanoue's right side and leaned into his shoulder. She looked up at his face with a hesitant smile.

Sakanoue shifted his attention downward towards Chidori and his hand roughly cupped the side of her face. The smile that grew on his own face had nothing to do with forgiveness and everything to do with the physical desire her proximity induced. Chidori didn't see it that way though. She reacted as if she saw love in his eyes and not the lust that actually filled them.

Across from them Momiji watched their exchange with pain clear on her face. She loved him more than Chidori. She was sure of it, but he never looked at her. Her eyes grew wide and she fought back tears she knew she could never show him. Her face reflected her breaking heart as Sakanoue delighted in pulling Chidori to his chest and initiating the kiss Chidori also desperately wanted. This was Momiji's punishment.

"Cut!"

Kanae quickly untangled herself from Hiromune, leaving him with a confused look on his face. It wasn't that Hiromune didn't understand what was going on, so much as Sakanoue wasn't ready to let Chidori go yet. Much like Kyoko, Hiromune was a method actor, but sometimes it took a little longer to come back to himself. This was one of those times. Some part of him realized that Chidori wasn't quite real, but Sakanoue overlooked it because Momiji was clearly the genuine article.

Hiromune looked at the director and blatantly asked, "She's hired right?"

"Of course not!" Kimiko shouted. She stood with her shoulders taut and a look of pure hatred on her face. "This role should be mine. I was the runner up in the first audition and if we didn't have to hold this stupid re-audition the part would be mine. And now…" Her fists shook at her sides. "You are considering hiring her without even seeing my performance?"

"As I recall…" the producer began. "You originally wanted to be Chidori when we were trying to get Tsuruga Ren to play Sakanoue, but decided that Momiji was an acceptable alternative when you heard that the part had been given to Koga-san. With so little dedication to either role is it really surprising you will be playing neither?"

"So?" Kimiko sputtered in reply. The producer just looked at her like she was a petulant child.

"I don't think Tsuruga-san would have liked working with you in either role." Kyoko muttered as she stared out into space. Hiromune was as good of an actor Ren and it had shaken her slightly.

"Excuse me." Kimiko hissed back.

Blinking a couple of times Kyoko returned from her trip to outer space and looked directly at Kimiko. "Did I say something?"

"Tsuruga-san liked working with me before. We worked together in both seasons on Purple Down. What would you know?" Kimiko shot back.

"That really surprises me." Kyoko responded thoughtfully. "Tsuruga-senpai gets mad at me a lot when he thinks I'm not taking one of my roles seriously enough." She nodded to herself. _Tsuruga-san never lets anything get in the way of his acting. That's why he's the best… I hope he's really Ok. I need to tell Yashiro and The President about what happened as soon as this is over. But I can't say anything when Kanae is in the car because she can't know about the secret mission._

"Tsuruga-senpai? Like you even know him." A knock at the door interrupted Kimiko's next venomous response.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Yashiro said with a bow as he opened the door. "Kyoko-chan it seems Director Anna has promised Nippon Scoop that Natsu will be on the show tonight to promote the next season of Box R. I know you were very excited to audition for this role, but you have to fulfill your previous obligations first. We will need to leave in the next 15 minutes or we will be late."

Kyoko looked confused as Yashiro looked at her for confirmation that she understood what he just said.

"MO! Kyoko you didn't tell me you had another job tonight." Kanae said turning to Kyoko. "Well. Thanks for the ride here, but I guess I'll have to take a taxi back." _Though I would have liked to have known about it before. This studio is in the middle of nowhere._

Kyoko's expression changed from confusion to panic in slow motion.

"Director Anna didn't tell me there was going to be another season of Box R." She began speaking at a normal rate, picking up speed with every sentence. "He didn't say anything about it. So what do I tell them? What do I say? What do I wear? I didn't bring any of Natsu's clothes with me. Princess Rosa is at home for safe keeping. And I don't have any of the makeup either. And what if Natsu is mean to the hosts? They won't ever let me back on the show. And they might take it out on the rest of the cast too. What if I ruin any chance Box R has to be promoted on Nippon Scoop every again?" She continued on as she sank to the floor, but the rest of her words were spoken at an incomprehensible rate.

The next moment Kyoko leapt to her feet and charged out of the door, dragging Kanae and Yashiro along with her. Kanae's cries of protest echoed down the hall as they disappeared around a corner, leaving an eerie silence in their wake.

* * *

Later that night…

Kyoko stumbled into the LoveMe Section locker room and collapsed on the small couch in the corner. Physically and emotionally exhausted, she reflected on the last few hours while pondering what type of curse to put on Director Anna for all the trouble he caused her. She had almost decided between '7 days of bad hair' and 'a day long headache' when a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

Yashiro spoke from the other side of the door. "Kyoko-chan. I know its been a long day, but I'll drive you home as soon as you're done changing."

"Ok!" She responded as she rolled off the couch and over to her locker.

"Though I'm sure you'll be happier to have Ren drive you home again when he gets back, right?" Yashiro smiled to himself as he made the comment. _I'm always rooting for you Ren!_

"Ren!" Kyoko screamed in alarm. _How could that have slipped my mind!_ She was out the door and pulling Yashiro to the elevator before he even had a chance to react. She tapped her foot, impatiently waiting for the elevator car,. She kept glancing at the stairs as if she were considering if it would be faster to just run up the next 6 flights of stairs to the president's office.

"Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro questioned gently.

She shot back a look that clearly said _NOT NOW YA-SHI-RO!_ He fell silent beside her. It wasn't too far outside of the norm for Kyoko's behavior, but something was clearly bothering her. A lot.

As the elevator doors in front of them started to open, Kyoko pushed Yashiro in before even checking to see if there was room inside the car. She then started pushing the 'close door' button without regard for the people trying to get off the elevator behind her. One brave soul pushed forward to complain, only to be met with the icy stare of one Hongo Mio, Kyoko's most terrifying character. He slunk back to the corner of the elevator car without another word.

The ride to the top floor of LME was silent as the other occupants of the car huddled together against the unseen dark energy swirling around Kyoko. When the elevator car finally reached the top floor, Kyoko was out the door and sprinting down the hallway before the doors were even half way open. Yashiro ran behind her, holding his glasses on his nose while trying not to get left behind.

"President Takarada!" Kyoko exclaimed as she barreled into the room and almost ran him over.

Takarada Lory, the famously eccentric president of LME, was dressed for a safari. Done up in Kakai with his wide brimmed hat and thick soled hiking boots, it looked like he was about to embark on a trip overseas. That however, wasn't the case. The president didn't travel the world, he brought the world to him. And it didn't surprise Kyoko or Yashiro at all to see a donkey standing in the corner of the room heavily laden with expedition gear. Although, Yashiro did cringe slightly at seeing the box labeled 'explosives'.

"Kyoko-chan." Lory replied as he sat down and motioned for her to sit on the couch across from him. "What could possibly be so important you had to break down the door to my office?"

Normally, Kyoko would have checked behind her on the condition of the door and then apologized. Instead she launched headlong into an explanation of her earlier phone calls relating to Ren. By the time she finished she was out of breath and panting as she bent her torso over her legs, dropping her head between her knees. Her arms hung limply off the front of the couch.

"Hum. Then I suppose Setsuka will be needing to travel to Guam on Tuesday." Lory began, but stopped as Kyoko started to shake her head. "You did tell Ren you would be there on Wednesday when Cain is released didn't you?"

Kyoko nodded, her head still between her knees. "But Setsu wouldn't wait that long to go to her brother. She would already be on a plane."

"Very true." The older gentlemen mused as Yashiro looked at him helplessly. "Then I suppose we ought to get Setsuka on a plane." Kyoko looked up at him with the glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Yashiro will take you home to collect your things and then you will meet Wood-san at the airport to get everything else Setsuka will need for her trip. In the mean time I will make travel arrangements. I'm sure Yashiro can handle making any necessary changes to both of your schedules."

* * *

The next morning in Guam…

After an uncomfortable night on a hospital bed, Ren looked up at the formidable building before him. Set back from the main road, the psychiatric hospital stood 3 stories high with long rows of reinforced windows on every level. The grounds were well kept, but walking up to the front door to sign himself in, Ren couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing.

"Good morning." The middle aged woman at the front desk greeted him in English. "Are you here to visit someone?"

Ren put on his best gentlemen's smile and beamed at her. "Good morning. Actually, my doctor should have called ahead for me. I believe I will be spending the next 48 hours in your care."

The woman raised her eyebrow inquisitively as she took a closer look at the actor. His dark hair had been brushed back from his face to frame a stunning smile and friendly eyes. Shifting her gaze down she noted he was dressed in tight black jeans paired with a light blue short sleeve button down shirt. All in all he looked well put together. The outfit had been dropped off by Director Konoe when he stopped by to pick up BJ's costume last night. Ren had been asleep at the time but the director left a note apologizing for not being able to find Cain's shirt. He did however find the pair of pants Ren had worn to set that day and left them next to the bed along with a shirt he had borrowed from Murasame.

The health care professional seemed to have a slight resistance to Ren's charms, but she still blushed and ducked her head slightly before asking. "Name?"

"Hizuri Kuon"

"Well Hizuri. You certainly aren't the type of patient we normally see walk in our front doors but I'm certain Doctor Kei will take good care of you. I'll let her know you are here."

"Thank you very much. However, Hizuri is my family name. If you could, during my stay, please call me Kuon."

* * *

 **A/N:** **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I promise more of Ren next time.**

 ***Seiza – means sitting upright on the floor with your knees out in front of you and your weight resting on your heels which are tucked up underneath you. (If that explanation doesn't make sense take a moment and ask Google for a picture)**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	4. Chapter 4: Therapy

Chapter 4: Therapy

 **The Story so far: Ren has just checked himself into a mental hospital in Guam for the next two days. Not far away Kyoko's plane has landed, bringing the Heel siblings 1600 miles closer together. (Approximately 2600 km for those who use the metric system)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

* * *

In the psychiatric hospital in Guam…

"Kuon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Doctor Kei stretched out her hand to as she approached Ren. For a slight woman in her late 50's she had a firm handshake and Ren immediately liked her. The doctor's silvery white hair was pulled back in a bun behind her head and she wore large framed glasses that made her look a just a little bit goofy. Her smile was warm and it reached all the way up into her light blue eyes.

"The pleasure is all mine." Ren replied as he shook her hand.

"First things first I suppose." The doctor said as she motioned to the door leading out of the entry way. "I'll show you to your room and introduce you to your temporary roommates. After that we can sit down in my office and have a chat about what brought you here."

They walked through the double doors into a white hallway that seemed to run along the back side of the building. Turning left, the doctor led him to a stairwell as she explained that all of the therapy rooms were on the first floor, but all of the patient rooms were all on the 2nd floor of the building. The third floor of the building it seemed, was split into two parts. The first housed isolation rooms, that by Doctor Kei's account, were largely unused. The second was a medical suite with an on call doctor to deal with emergency situations, should any arise.

Climbing the stairs to the second story the two of them walked into another long white hallway. The windows were spaced the same distance apart as in the hallway below but the doors on the opposite side of the hall were clustered much closer together.

They walked past 4 doors before the doctor stopped at the 5th door and knocked. "Boys its Doctor Kei. May I come in? I've brought a new friend with me." Ren raised an eyebrow at the assertion that he was a friend, but decided against saying anything about it.

The sounds of hushed voices came from the other side of the door as if they were discussing whether or not to allow the two to enter the room. Finally one voice spoke up. "We don't need any new friends Doctor Kei."

The doctor chuckled. "Not to worry boys. My new friend Kuon will only be here for two days." The hushed whispers resumed after her declaration and the doctor looked up at Ren. "They're quite shy, but they're good boys. Yoshi just started talking to me about 2 weeks ago and he's been here for nearly 3 months. They don't seem to think they fit in here since they're Japanese." She chuckled again. "Actually, I assigned you to their room because I assumed you were Japanese based on your name. Looks like I might have been mistaken though."

"Not at all." Ren replied. "I was raised in America, but I've been living in Japan for the last several years. My father always insisted that I learn the language when I was younger and now I quite like living in Japan."

"Really?" A voice came from the other side of the door.

"Yes." Ren answered trying to keep the laughter out of his voice.

"Test, test, test." Three voices started to chant.

"What can I answer for you?" Ren asked in Japanese. The hushed whispers resumed and Doctor Kei gave Ren a look of approval. "Do you speak Japanese Doctor?" She nodded in reply as her smile widened just a bit.

"Ok. We have 3 questions." One of the mystery voices said.

"Yes?" Ren asked. _I understand why she calls them boys now. They're like little children. Curious but cautious._ For a moment he remembered the smile of the little amber eyed girl he met in Kyoto nearly a decade before. The picture of her beaming at him brought a smile to his face. _Kyoko._

 _ **Her smile is still just as brilliant isn't it? And her tears even more heartrending.**_

Ren's smile fell, replaced by a look of concern as Kuon made his presence known once again.

"Ok." The voice behind the door resumed. "If you've been living in Japan you should know these. 1) What do you say before eating? 2) What is Dark Moon. 3) Who is Fuwa Sho."

Still distracted by his internal dialogue Ren answered without thinking. "You say Itadakimasu before eating. Dark Moon is a TV drama I acted in last year. And Fuwa Sho is the bane of my existence."

Silence from the other side of the door.

"Did I say something wrong?" Ren asked to no one in particular as the silence continued.

"So you're an actor Kuon?" Doctor Kei asked.

Her question was immediately followed by another from behind the door. "Which character were you?"

"Um… Katsuki Tachiban." Ren answered a second before the door flew open on its own to reveal the enthralled faces of 3 men. Ren faced them with a startled expression and the sinking feeling he had just said too much.

 _ **So now you've decided to share all our secrets with everyone?**_ Kuon laughed in their head.

The 3 men in the door way exchanged glances. "Liar! Liar! Liar!" The three voices chanted again.

"Tsuruga Ren doesn't have green eyes." Said one.

"Your hair all wrong." Said another.

"Not tall enough."

"Too board."

"The face is all wrong."

Ren just stood there with his gentlemen's smile glued on. _Well it is probably a good thing they don't believe me. It means they won't tell anyone about me._ Suppressing the twitch of his eye seemed to be harder than it should have been.

"But its Ok." Said the leader of the group, a shorter man in his late 30's. "The doctors all say we're crazy too. Not that they're that blunt about it. I'm Kenji. But don't call me Kenji-san. We don't use honorifics here." He pointed over his shoulder to a younger man probably in his late teens. "This is Yoshi." He looked back over his other shoulder to a man that was walking away from the group. "That's Ryu. He's pretty disappointed you didn't turn out to be the real thing because that means you can't introduce him to the actress that played Mio."

"Why do you want to meet Kyoko-san?" Ren asked. "She is great actress, but her portrayal of Mio was so powerful many people are afraid to approach her."

Ryu turned around with a blush on his cheeks. "Because she's beautiful even when she's angry." He answered in a quiet voice as he played bashfully with his fingers. "I haven't had very good luck with women. I always manage to make them angry. But most women aren't pretty when they're angry. She is."

"Yes. Yes she is." Ren added absently as images of an angry Kyoko flooded his mind. "Even when she's fighting with _that_ Bastard she's still beautiful."

"So boys," Doctor Kei interjected, "Kuon will be spending the next two days here with us. I expect you to treat him nicely even when I'm not around. I'm taking him to my office now, but you will see him again after lunch when we have our group activities."

With that she guided Ren away from the door and back towards the stairwell as the 3 long term residents of room 205 waived goodbye and encouraged the doctor to come back and visit. Ren followed obediently as she led him back down the stairs and through the second door on their right. It led into another small hallway with doors on both sides. Walking to the last door on the right she opened it and ushered Ren into her office.

The office was cozy. Maybe 10 foot by 8 foot (or 3 meters by 2.5 meters) in dimension with bookshelves along 3 of the walls. Off to one side sat a desk with a comfortable looking high backed chair behind it. Opposite the desk was an arrangement of 3 chairs, each with its own unique style.

"Take whichever chair looks comfortable." Doctor Kei invited as she closed the door and moved to her own seat behind the desk.

Ren looked at each chair in turn. The first looked like the overly padded sofa chairs that had been becoming popular recently in waiting areas. They were comfortable enough to start with, but the longer you sat in one the worse your back tended to feel. The second chair could only be described as a lounge chair. Ren was familiar these from his modeling experiences but it hardly seemed appropriate to him to lay down while holding a conversation in a professional setting. The third chair was a rolling office chair with no arms. If Ren had been modeling he would have selected this chair because of how versatile it was for different poses, but for comfort…

"May I sit on the floor?" Ren asked looking up from his seating choices.

"Of course, as long as you are comfortable." The doctor answered and watched as Ren smoothly dropped to the floor. He sat with his back leaning against the sofa chair and his legs crossed in front of him, his hands resting lazily on his right calf. Once he was settled she began her line of questioning. "So you're an actor Kuon?"

Ren was uncertain at first, answering yes or no if at all possible. On the 5th or 6th question Doctor Kei stopped him. "Kuon if you can't be honest with me you are not going to get the help you need. I hear you agreed to this because you recognize you could use some help with whatever it is you're going through. But if you don't tell me about yourself I don't know how to help you. Everything you say here is confidential. So please just tell me what is on your mind."

After hearing that his secrets were protected the flood gates opened inside of Ren and he ended up trying to explain his path from American run away to top star in Japan. He explained that he blamed himself for his friend Rick's death and that he fled to Japan to start over. He told her how he had buried the old him and created Tsuruga Ren to allow him to start over. He told her about guilt he felt for walking away from his parents and admitted he never misses a show or movie that either of them appears in. But he also admitted this was a recent development. For years he just couldn't handle seeing his parents' faces; they brought the pain he was running from to the forefront of his mind. But recently, he was starting to feel like he could start to move past his haunting memories. He didn't want to forget his past, but he was starting to feel like he deserved to live again.

The doctor listened patiently, only interrupting to ask clarifying questions. Ren was surprised at how little judgement he felt from her. The problem only arose once she had listened to his story and asked what made him want to start working on moving forward. What had changed in his life to inspire him to get help?

Comfortable with the situation Ren spoke without thinking again. "She came back to us."

 _ **You said "us" again.**_

 _I know Kuon._ Ren responded in his head as he cursed himself.

 _ **If we get stuck here we can't see her anymore. Even if she visits we won't be able to hold her. She'll look at us with pity.**_

 _And we would never be able to tell her that we love her._

 _ **Of course not. We could never burden her like that. Get it together Ren.**_

But instead of focusing on the plural the doctor found something else of interest in the statement. "Who is she?"

* * *

Mid-morning at the airport in Guam…

After landing in the early hours of the morning it had taken Kyoko quite a bit of time to collect her things and transform herself into Setsuka in the airport bathroom. The space was too small, Setuska's clothes were too tight, and Kyoko was too tried from not sleeping all night. She must have put her shirt on wrong at least 3 times before she got the form fitting bodice to close properly.

Now she was waiting for a ride from Director Konoe who would take her to set with him and then return her to Cain's hotel at the end of the day. She had tried to just take a taxi to the hotel, but all of the taxi drivers seemed to have second thoughts about picking up someone who looked... well like she did.

Kyoko had been standing on the curb outside the airport for nearly 20 minutes when her promised ride appeared. Director Konoe drove the small green car up to the curb with an uncomfortable look on his face. He didn't seem to be particularly well adjusted to driving on the right side of the road despite having been driving to and from set for the last 2 weeks.

Coming to a stop he waived and started to get out of the car to help Setsuka with her bags. Walking up to her, he nodded briefly and picked up all of her bags without a word.

For a moment Kyoko just watched him. She couldn't quite focus on what was happening or what she was supposed to be doing. She was emotionally drained and as soon as she saw the directors face she had felt herself shut down. Somewhere in the distance she felt like she could hear someone talking to her but it didn't matter. Not right at that moment. _I'm supposed to be Setsuka... So I should act like Setsuka would... How would Setsuka act right now?_ Her thoughts scattered as soon as they were formed.

She looked up in a daze to see a concerned expression on the director's face. His mouth moved but no sound seemed to be coming out. He lowered his face towards hers and looked into her eyes from inches away. _Are you talking to me?_ Kyoko questioned, but the words never reached her lips.

Director Konoe looked into Setuska's grey eyes and searched for any sign of recognition. He had actually grown accustomed to seeing Setsuka look past him when her eyes swept over the set in search of her brother, but this was different. She was looking straight through him as if he wasn't there at all; like he couldn't possibly be on the same plain of existence as her. "Setsuka-san?" He called again with panic starting to creep into his voice.

"Where is my brother?" Setsuka asked in a small voice as the world seemed to momentarily shift back into focus.

The director's heart stopped for a brief moment as he looked at the tiny woman before him. "Kyoko-chan?" He questioned. She looked like Setsuka but the force of her personality just wasn't there.

She nodded in reply.

"I'm going to take you to the hotel now." Kyoko opened her mouth as if to protest, but Konoe continued on. "This won't be the first time the Heel siblings have delayed filming and there really aren't that many more scenes that can be filmed without Cain. So even if I'm a little late we will get everything we need to done today."

Kyoko started to apologize only to be hushed by the director. "We can talk after you've slept." He watched the scantily clad teen sink into the front passenger seat and gently closed her door before walking back around the car to his own seat. Glancing down at her again he muttered under his breath. "I'm so sorry Kyoko-chan. I didn't realize what this job would do to either of you."

* * *

Back in Doctor Kei's office…

Ren looked at Doctor Kei as if she had asked if the sun had risen today. As if the answer was so obvious that the question didn't even need to be asked. _'Who is she?'_ He repeated in his head. _Isn't it obvious? She is… She is…_

 _ **The woman we love. Our light in the darkness. Our most precious treasure.**_ Kuon supplied.

Ren shifted uncomfortably on the ground. He pulled his right knee to his chest and loosely draped his right arm across it, his limp fingers resting on his left calf. He closed his eyes as he let his head lull to the side. His face went slack and he breathed in deeply several times before opening his eyes again. "She is the reason I'm facing my demons." Kuon spoke aloud.

The shift was subtle, but as Doctor Kei looked at the young man in front of her she got the distinct feeling that something had just broken loose in his mind. She had seen patients go years without a break though and the sudden shift in her patient troubled her. A 2 hour conversation should not have been able to fix whatever drove the actor so far into a corner he would voluntarily check into to a psychiatric hospital. It just didn't make sense.

"That's wonderful Kuon. Why don't you tell me about her?" The doctor watched him very closely as Kuon rolled his head back to look at the ceiling for a moment and a warm smile flowed across his face. It was the first genuine smile she had seen grace the attractive man's lips.

"I met her for the first time when I was 10. I was visiting Japan with my father at the time, but he was there to work and didn't really have time for me." His face darkened slightly. "I hated the way the adults always looked at me; like I was an inconvenience. Nothing I did was good enough for any of them. After all I was _His_ son." He spat out the last words, his anger evident in his tone.

The anger faded again as Kuon leaned his head forward and rested his cheek on his arm. "I'm still angry at the people who put extra pressure on me because of who my parents are, but I'm also somewhat thankful to them. If I hadn't run out the door and down to the nearby creek that day I never would have met her." The smile settled back on his face and the doctor felt herself being drawn to him. He was easily the most attractive man she had ever met and the look of adoration in his eyes as he talked about his precious childhood memories… even being 30 years his senior it stirred something long dormant in her heart.

"You're in love with her." She stated simply and was rewarded with an even brighter smile as he nodded happily. "You've been with her since you were 10?" She asked and Kuon's smile dimmed just a bit.

"No. I never really intended to make friends with her when we meet. And after a week, when I had to go home, I told her she would never see me again. It broke my heart to see her crying when I said goodbye, but I didn't really have a choice. She called me her fairy prince Corn and she told me to grow beautiful wings that would let me fly out from under my father's shadow." He chuckled to himself at the memory.

"A few years later I was being interviewed about my first romantic role and the interviewer insisted I tell them what my ideal woman was like. Before I knew it I was listing off all the characteristics of that little girl I met when I was 10. She was my ideal of the Japanese woman."

Kuon fell into a comfortable silence as he relished the memory. _**She was the first person to ever look at me. Not Kuu's son. Just Kuon. Or would that be Corn?**_ He chuckled again before his thoughts turned darker. _**And I guess Rick was the second person... And I killed him. Even if I wasn't the one driving its my fault he's dead. Isn't it Ren?**_

Ren didn't respond at first. Then a moment later his fearful voice rang through the void. _Kyoko isn't safe with us is she?_

Doctor Kei broke the silence in the room when she spoke again. "But you said you decided to get help because she came back to you." Her voice was cheerful.

She expected Kuon to gleefully tell her about the woman he loved. Instead his eyes widened and he paled. A look of terror etched itself into his face and was suddenly gone again under his gentlemen's mask.

"I'm afraid I'm not ready to discuss that at the moment." Ren's practiced interview voice answered the doctor and she blinked at him in surprise.

Inside their head Kuon called out for Ren to answer him. _**Ren?! Why would you say that?! You really think we would hurt her?! That we can't protect her?!**_

* * *

 **A/N: Well trying to write a slightly crazy Ren is driving me slightly crazy. After all Ren and Kuon are technically the same person so they share a lot of personality traits but they are also different people and making sure they each have their own voice is proving difficult. Especially since Ren has been getting more temperamental in the manga.**

 **But I did my best so I hope you all enjoyed it. Comments/ reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	5. Chapter 5: Lonely

Chapter 5: Lonely

 **The Story so far: Ren and Kuon are in therapy together, but Ren's recent epiphany that they may be a threat to the woman they love has left them both shaken. Meanwhile, Setsuka is catching up on her sleep in Cain's hotel room after rushing to Guam to be closer to her brother.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

* * *

Back in Doctor Kei's office…

The doctor watched as Kuon seemed to shut down. She wasn't sure if it was amazing or disturbing to watch him put his walls back in place, but it was certainly sudden. Doctor Kei watched as in seconds Kuon recomposed himself as Ren. His posture straightened and his body language changed to be less relaxed, but only slightly more formal. His smile was still dazzling, but it lacked the luster it had shown before. Most concerning to Doctor Kei however, was the change in his eyes. The vivacious young man she had just met disappeared inside the shell of his alter ego.

After all of the things he had managed to share about his painful past, it had surprised the doctor that talking about the woman he was in love with would trigger this kind of response. She couldn't quite figure out what had happened to the genuine smile he had shown her only moments before. Kuon however, firmly declined to make any further comment and Doctor Kei reluctantly dropped the subject.

She led Kuon back up the stairs to a community room on the second floor where she made an introduction to the group of about 30 patients. "Hi everyone. I'd like to introduce you all to Kuon."

There were a few questioning glances mixed in with the nods of acknowledgement and waves of 'hello', but the group as a whole seemed to readily accept his presence. As Doctor Kei left, Kenji happily signaled for Kuon to join him at a table on the far side of the room. Kuon could feel the eyes of several of the women in the group following him, but he didn't stop walking until he reached the table where his new roommates sat.

"You talked didn't you." Yoshi accused as soon as Kuon sat down.

He looked at the young man questioningly, his Ren mask slipping just a bit. It had been a long time since Kuon had pretended to be Ren. "Is there a reason I shouldn't have?"

Yoshi nodded emphatically. "My mom checked me in here for a couple of days just so they could check me out. But I must have said something wrong when I talked to the doctors. Because they told her I shouldn't leave the hospital. I've been here ever since."

"It wasn't Doctor Kei was it?"

"No. She's a lot nicer than either of them."

Kuon paused as he considered what Ren would say in this situation. "My understanding was that they couldn't keep you here against your will unless you were considered to be a threat to the safety of yourself or others."

"Yeah. Or you're a minor." Yoshi responded harshly.

Kuon felt a twinge of sadness at Yoshi's words. He knew exactly what it was like to be at the mercy of the adults in your world. Some of them meant well, but some of them just wanted you out of the way... And none of them wanted to listen to what you had to say. Under the table Kuon's fists clenched in an involuntary response as he remembered his own struggles as a teen.

"What is the age of majority in Guam?" Kuon asked Yoshi.

The teen looked up with a mischievous smile. "Eighteen. But Mom seems to think its twenty like it is in Japan. Two more months."

Kuon smiled at the Yoshi. "At least you have Kenji and Ryu to keep you company until then." He turned his attention to the other men at the table. "Or are you planning to check yourselves out soon?"

Kenji shrugged. "I've been in and out of the hospital every couple of months since I was 33. They'd keep finding drug cocktails that would keep me stable, but after a while they would stop working and I'd end up right back in the same place. I couldn't support myself out there." He shrugged toward the window. "But in here no one looks at me any differently if I have a bad day. And if my meds stop working I talk to the doctors and they fix my dosages."

Ryu spoke up next. "I used to think that psychiatric hospitals were full of real crazies. You know, the dangerous kind that needed to be sedated and restrained to keep them from hurting the other patients. Like the ones you see in the movies." _**The dangerous kind like BJ and Cain?**_ Kuon thought to himself.

"But that's not what this place is like at all." Ryu continued. He scanned the room with his eyes and nodded in agreement with himself. "Its just a safe place for weary souls to take a rest and lick their wounds.* At least that's how Doctor Kei describes it."

"Group time!" A nurse announced before Ryu could say any more.

Kuon's roommates jumped to their feet and dashed for the door with Yoshi leading the charge. Kenji winked at him before he disappeared out the door. "You have to get there early if you don't want to sit on the floor."

Kuon rose from his chair and followed them at a more sedate pace as the other patients also moved for the open door. Kuon smiled to himself, drawing a gasp of appreciation from the nurse. _**Part of me always wondered what it would be like to have brothers. It looks like it could be fun. Don't you think Ren?**_

Ren didn't answer him but Kuon knew that the interactions he had watched weren't the exchanges of 3 strangers that shared a room. It was deeper than that. They had formed their own little family inside the walls of the hospital.

Kenji was the older brother that looked after his younger siblings, taking responsibility for them and playing along with their harmless mischief. Yoshi was the one causing most of that mischief. The little brother in both age and maturity. Even if Yoshi was about to turn 18 Kuon couldn't help but wonder if the boy wasn't really better off staying here with his 'brothers'. It wasn't that Yoshi was unintelligent but every interaction with him made Kuon feel like he was talking to a 10 year old.

Then there was Ryu, the middle brother that wasn't quite sure who he wanted to be just yet. But Kenji encouraged him and he was starting to learn about the world and in a small way, about love. _**Though Mio still seems to be an odd choice doesn't she?**_

Entering the group therapy room he pushed the idea out of his mind and dropped into a chair next to Ryu. Stretching his long legs out in front of him, he once again felt the probing eyes of the women in the group. _**I miss Yashiro and his ability to keep rabid hordes of women at bay. Without Setsu around Cain gets hit on way to often.**_ Kuon mused, trying to get a response from Ren.

"Alright everyone take your seats and let's get started." A young male doctor in the center of the room instructed the group. "I want everyone to set a goal for the day and share it with the group. Then when we have our session tonight I want hear about whether or not you met your goal for the day. And as usual if there is anything else you want to share, we are all here to listen to you."

The doctor took the last vacant seat in the circle and motioned to the man on his right. The man started out by introducing himself and then explained that his goal for the day was to set his own alarm clock. It didn't make sense to Kuon at first, but as more people shared he realized that most of the people in the group were in the hospital for severe depression. It seemed motivating to do anything for themselves was truly a struggle. There were also a few people who mentioned things like finishing at least 1/4th of their meals for the day and how they were sure that their appetites were growing day by day. Then it was Kuon's turn.

"Hi, my name is Kuon and I'd like to share." He followed the same pattern as the people who spoke before him. "A few months ago I would have said my goal was to actually eat my meals like I was supposed to. I still don't really like to eat and I hardly ever get hungry, but I promised _Her_ that I would try to take better care of myself and get the proper nutrition. So that is what I've been doing."

He ran his fingers through his dark hair pulling it back from his face in an almost embarrassed movement. "Up until yesterday I was keeping video and photo diaries of all of my meals on my phone so I can share them with _Her_. I thought it was silly when I first made the videos, but she looked so happy when she was watching them. She even asked to watch them again. So while I've been away from home I've be making new videos for _Her_."

Kuon feel silent, not quite sure what to do next as he looked to Ryu. The young doctor spoke up in response to his confused expression. "Thank you for sharing Kuon. And what is your goal for the day?"

"I think my goal for the day is to work up the courage to talk to Doctor Kei about _Her_." Kuon answered.

After that no one else asked him anymore questions. He had expected them to ask who she was, but no one seemed bothered by the fact that he only referred to Kyoko as " _Her_ ". If he didn't want to share any more details, it seemed that no one was going to ask.

Ryu, Yoshi, and Kenji each took their turn to speak after Kuon. They were all very excited to tell the group that their goals for the day were all the same. They were going to make sure their new roommate felt right at home. Kuon put Ren's practiced smile on in response to their declarations. _**I guess we've been adopted Ren.**_

Ren still didn't respond and Kuon started to wonder if he was actually alone in his head. _**Ren? Are you still here?**_

* * *

Meanwhile in Japan…

Yashiro walked into his living room with a fresh cup of coffee and a pounding headache. Changing Ren's schedule to accommodate the extra 2 days of filming in Guam hadn't presented as much of a challenge as Yashiro had expected and he was thankful for that. On the other hand, the bright pink cell phone that Kyoko had left in his care had been ringing all morning.

The first caller had been Kanae, who had called to lecture Kyoko about her behavior at the audition the day before; though lecture might not have been a strong enough word. Kanae was already ranting when Yashiro picked up the phone and he hadn't been able to interject a single word as the raven haired actress on the other end of the line transitioned from topic to topic without seeming to take a breath. After 5 minutes the phone when silent.

"Are you listening to me?! You drifted off to fairy land again didn't you?" The actress accused over the phone.

"Ah. Actually Kotanami-san," Yashiro began, "Kyoko-chan isn't available at the moment. Since I've been acting as her manager I'm handling her phone calls."

"Have her call me back." Kanae said without inflection just before the line went dead in Yashiro's hands.

At first Yashiro panicked. _I just killed Kyoko-chan's cell phone and knowing her she didn't back up anything…_ Then his thoughts turned a little more mischievous. _But if I get her a new cell phone only Ren and I will have her new number. No. No. She would still have to give out her new number to all of her work contacts… But it might make Ren jealous to see her giving out her phone number… Jealous enough to actually make some progress for once!_

Yashiro's fantasies were ruined a moment later as the pink device in his hand suddenly sprung to life again, displaying a blocked number. Kanae had simply hung up on him he realized. It was odd though, Yashiro normally broke phones within 10 seconds of holding them in his bare hand, yet the little pink flip phone seemed to be operating normally. Losing himself for a moment he dropped back into fan girl mode. _It must be protected by the power of love! Making sure Kyoko-chan never losses Ren's phone number! Oh how I wish I could be there to see their reunion in Guam… Ren will sweep Kyoko up in a gentle embrace and Kyoko will lovingly bush his hair out of his face so she can look into his eyes. And then True Loves First Kiss! Except with those two its more likely that nothing will happen… Just confess to her already Ren!_

The phone rang again and Yashiro realized he had missed the first call entirely. _It must be important if they are calling her right back._

"Mogami Kyoko's phone." Yashiro answered the call with his professional manager disguise back in place.

"Who the fuck are you?" The angry male voice on the other end of the line demanded. "Why are you answering Kyoko's phone?"

Yashiro froze for a moment before remembering Kyoko's warning to let all blocked numbers go directly to voicemail. "Fuwa-san. I'm afraid Kyoko-chan is out of the country at the moment and is not taking any calls until she returns. As her manager I am answering her phone to handle any work related issues that may arise in her absence."

"Out of the country? Yeah right. Like Saena signed off for her to get a passport… She's just avoiding me. Tell her my parents called and I need to talk to her. If she's not too busy." Sho's sarcasm leaked through the phone. "Nah, tell her to call me anyways." And for the second time that day the phone call was disconnected before Yashiro could respond.

After that the little pink torture device had rung every 6 minutes for the next 3 hours. It seemed that Natsu's interview the night before had made quite the impression. Some of the calls were for more interviews, a few of them were congratulations calls from Kyoko's friends, but the vast majority of calls were job offers.

Yashiro eyed the phone suspiciously. How had all of these people gotten Kyoko's direct phone number? He dialed the phone number from memory and listened to the phone ring twice before he was directed to voicemail. "You've reached Sawara Takenori, head of the talent division at LME. I will be out of the office this week for a vacation with my family. In my absence a please direct all calls to Mogami Kyoko ### - ### - ####, Kotanami Kanae ### - ### - ####, or Amamiya Chiori ### - ### - ####."

Yashiro's mouth gaped open. _The LoveMe Section is filling in for Sawara-san and he gave out their direct phone numbers?! Ren is not going to be happy about this._

Kyoko's phone rang once again and Yashiro begrudgingly answered it after taking another big gulp of his coffee. "Mogami Kyoko's phone."

Producer Kuresaki got right to the point of his call. "Tell her she is hired. We start filming next Monday at 8am. The script will be delivered to the LME office no later than 1pm this afternoon. Tell her to be prepared. And she had better not be late."

"I'll let her know." Yashiro told the disconnected phone in his hand. _I wonder if Kyoko ever gets to actually finish a phone conversation._

* * *

Later that afternoon in Cain's hotel room…

Setsuka woke with a start at the sound of angry knocking. She looked down at herself groggily as she headed for the door. _At least I'm dressed._ She thought and took an extra second to check her hair in the mirror. _Passable I suppose._ Looking through the peep hole she identified the source of the noise.

Murasame was on the other side of the door and looked like he was about ready to break it down. With the door chain still in place Setsuka opened the door and glowered at him through the crack. "What?" She asked with irritation plain in her voice.

Murasame barely looked at her as he tried to peer over the top of her head into the hotel room. "I'm sure that bastard is in there." He told her before raising his voice to address the absent Cain. "Just because you passed out on set doesn't mean you just get to take days off at the end of the filming schedule. Like I believe they sent you to a mental hospital. You bastard! The director knows as well as I do they'd never let you back out again!"

Setsuka slammed the door in his face.

"Let me talk to him Setsuka." Murasame demanded through the door.

"He's not here."

"Setsuka. He can't hide in there forever."

"Who says he's hiding?"

"If he's not hiding why doesn't he come out here and face me like a man instead of hiding behind his little sister?"

That was the final straw.* _No one gets to say such things about my brother!_ Setsuka took the chain off the door and threw it open as she stalked into the hall on her bare feet. Murasame backed away from the furious teen without thinking as she planted her right hand on his chest and pushed. His back slammed against the opposite wall with more force than the small women before him should have been able to command.

Looking down at her, Murasame could practically see Setsuka's fury as it swirled around her. "Did you just call my brother a coward?" She asked as she glared up at him, her voice thick with disbelief. _Could he really be that dumb?_ Her entire body shook with rage as she balled his shirt in her hands and pulled his face down to her eye level.

"Well I don't see him standing here. Do you?" Murasame retorted as their eyes locked.

In side of Setsuka's shell Kyoko bristled. _Do you know what you are saying about Tsuruga-san?! Tsuruga Ren, the top actor in Japan! Do you think he wants to miss filming? The man lives and breathes acting. How dare you! He's in the hospital you… you idiot!_

Setsuka snarled into Murasame's face, her voice low and predatory. "Those are some awfully brazen words. Would you like me to put you in the hospital so you can relay them to my brother yourself?" The hostility in her words caused a shiver to run up Murasame's spine as fear and excitement waged war against each other. On Setsuka's face anger and pride mixed together to form an expression that promised very violent things. Murasame's pulse sped in response and he could feel his muscles tense in preparation for a fight… Or maybe something else. He could almost taste the sex and violence that seemed to permeate the air.

 _Shit... I get why Cain won't let anyone near her now. She's… Intoxicating… Wait... Cain is actually in the hospital?_ Murasame tried to pull himself out of Setsuka's grip and back away. _I need to get away from her before Cain decides to kill me. Though he would probably torture me first if he knew what I just imagined doing with his little sister._

"I'm sorry Setsuka-san. I didn't know Cain's condition was so serious. I thought he was just…" Murasame's words cut off as he hit the wall behind him.

"You thought he was just what?" Setsuka coaxed, her voice infused with undertones of disdain. Murasame flinched away. He rose to his full height, desperate to distance himself from her grey eyes that did nothing but heighten his desire.

As he pulled away, Setsuka's grip on his shirt pulled her into his chest and he held his arms out to steady her reflexively. The next moment the actor froze as he felt the warmth of her skin under his hands. Murasame couldn't help but ogle the woman in his arms as his heart beat wildly.

Sweeping his eyes back up to her face he really looked at her for the first time that night and he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself. Her hair was disheveled and her makeup was smeared as if she had been sleeping. Her eyes were slightly puffy and despite her heavy use of eye liner there were clean tracks of skin where her tears had washed the makeup away. The woman looked like she had cried herself to sleep and then strode out into the hallway to defend her brother's honor in nothing but her lacy black panties and a midriff tank top.

"I…" Murasame's words stuck in his throat. "I… I am so sorry, Setsuka-san."

"For…?" She prompted.

"For calling your brother a coward. It was terribly insensitive of me given his current situation." _And for everything else._ He added in his head. _Did she really not notice the way I was looking at her?_

Placated, Setsuka released his shirt and turned back towards her room only to find that the door had closed behind her. Her eyes narrowed and she looked back over her shoulder. "And how do you intend to fix this?"

"I'll go talk to the hotel staff." Murasame stammered and turned to walk down the hall, only to find it occupied by about a half dozen on lookers, among them several members of the cast and production staff. He turned back to face her again. "My room is two doors down if you'd like to wait there."

"I won't be going into any man's room but my brother's." She responded as if it was a forgone conclusion that she would wait in the hallway for him to retrieve a new keycard for her.

Murasame's eyes flicked from her face down to her barely covered body and back up again. "Are you sure you want to wait in the hallway dressed like that?" His acting skills failed him as he tried to sound impartial.

She looked down at herself as she leaned casually against the door to her brother's hotel room. "I'm dressed." She responded with disinterest. "My brother wouldn't complain."

Beneath the surface Kyoko was slipping into hysteria and she questioned if she would ever be able to look Ren in the eye again. _He's going to be so disappointed in me. How could I have behaved like that? Ahhhhhhhh! I just couldn't stand listen to Murasame-san those negative things about him._

* * *

Two hours later in the psychiatric hospital community room…

After sitting still for what felt like days, Kuon stretched as he stood up from the chair he had been occupying for the last hour and a half of 'free time'. At first his roommates had tried to talk to him, but Kuon had explained that he really just needed to be alone for a while. He had shared more about his life with a group of total strangers than he had with his closest friends. He knew that this was the way the processes worked, but it still left him feeling uneasy. So he did what he always used to do when he was little. He sat in a corner where his back was protected and watched the world flow by.

When he had first started doing it, he had convinced himself that he was studying to become an actor. An actor had to observe many types of people to be able to portray many types of people. So it was only natural for him to people watch. The truth however, was that when he sat back in the corner and watched people's lives unfold he felt safe. If he didn't interact with the world it couldn't hurt him and he couldn't hurt it. Couldn't hurt her.

With feeling returned to his legs Kuon walked over to join his roommates at one of the larger tables in the room. Dinner was served at exactly 6 and Kuon found himself looking down at the night's meal with the best neutral face he could muster. _**I promised I would eat but… what is this?**_

Before him sat a bowl of what he could only assume was ground meat mixed with a variety of different peppers. It was served with hot white rice as a side but the bowl of meat itself was cold to the touch and looked suspiciously like cat food. "What is this?" He asked aloud in a polite tone.

"You've never had kelaguen before?" Yoshi asked in disbelief around a mouthful of food. The teen reached across the table to grab Kuon's little bowl of rice and dumped it on top of the meat mixture. He then continued to mix the contents of the larger bowl. Kuon looked down at the bowl in confusion.

"Pick up your spoon and put some in your mouth already." The teen pressed.

"You want me to eat raw meat?" Kuon asked incredulously.

"Its not raw. Its denatured with lemon juice. And its actually a pretty popular dish here in Guam." Ryu explained. Kuon just looked at him without any sign of comprehension on his face. He had been learning more about cooking terms from Kyoko, but this one just didn't make sense to him.

"Just try it." Yoshi urged.

Kuon put a small amount on his spoon and lifted the utensil to his mouth. The taste of lemon mixed with the flavor of beef and the slight spiciness of jalapeno peppers flowed over his tongue. It was hard for him to pinpoint but he also tasted something a little bit salty and something a little bit sweet. _**Soy sauce and onion?**_

He sat up a little straighter and was rewarded with a bright smile from Yoshi when he put another spoonful of kelaguen in his mouth. _**Its actually pretty good. But I bet Kyoko could make it better. We should ask her about it when we see her. Right Ren… Ren?**_

After dinner the patients once again made a trip down the stairs for their second group session of the day. As they went around the room discussing how they had done with their goals for the day Kuon felt a bit discouraged. When it was his turn to talk he had to admit that he hadn't achieved his goal because he hadn't been able to find Doctor Kei.

His roommates laughed and told him he would just have to make sure he did it tomorrow instead. It seemed that they all knew that Doctor Kei only worked in the mornings. Kuon raised an eye brow and let his Ren mask slip just a little. "Then I suppose you all met your goals for the day. After all you made me feel right at home." His voice took on a cold tone and a shadow of anger seemed to settle on his handsome features. "After all I'm used to being manipulated and lied to."

A wary look crossed the supervising doctor's face. Kuon quickly plastered Ren's gentlemen's smile on and laughed. "I told you guys I was a pretty good actor."

* * *

Three hours later…

Kuon stared up at the tiled ceiling in the dark as his temporary roommates slept soundly in their beds nearby. Ren hadn't responded to him since the end of their therapy session and it left him feeling very empty… and more than a little bit scared. _ **What if you're right Ren? What if Kyoko isn't safe with us? What if she isn't safe with me?**_ Kuon had been considering Ren's words since the end of their therapy session and he had found himself no closer to an answer. He wrapped the blanket tight around himself and shivered. It had been a long time since he had felt so small, so vulnerable.

Kuon curled up into a ball on the bed and tried to pull the blanket over his head. He only succeeded in tangling the blanket and exposing his legs to chilly air. With a sigh of dismay he gave up on the idea of sleep and rose to his feet. He readjusted his blanket to drape over his head and walked over to the lone window in the room.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw his reflection on the window's surface. The man in the reflection looked at him with a miserable expression and Kuon felt as if his heart had shattered into pieces. Kuon had seen the man in the reflection before. He had been looking back at Kuon from the shiny metal doors of an elevator; the elevator that had delivered Kyoko into his arms when his nightmares had shaken him to his very core. _**Only this time she isn't here to save to me.**_

Kuon let out a whimper as he sank to his knees and pulled the blanket tighter around him. As far as he could remember he had never felt so alone.

* * *

At the same time in Cain's hotel room…

Kyoko felt renewed as she stepped out of the bath. It had taken nearly an hour to properly brush and wash her hair, but it was well worth the time investment. Woods-san had given her real hair extensions and she felt like a princess with Setuska's long blonde hair hanging loose around her.

As she strode out of the bathroom Kyoko moved to clean up the dinner dishes only to find that the extra order of room service remained untouched. Kyoko's mood plummeted. She couldn't help but scold herself for wasting money. She knew better, but a part of her had still hoped that Cain would have been sitting at the coffee table eating when she finished her bath. _I'm sure that someone is taking good care of you in my place._ She reassured herself. _They are, aren't they Ren?_

A wave of sadness seemed to wash over her as she picked up one of Cain's trench coats. She clutched the heavy black coat to her chest as the familiar sent of Cain reached her nose. He smelled like cigarettes and alcohol, but beneath that was the scent of his body spray; and beneath the artificial musk of the body spray was the scent of Ren's skin. Kyoko's head swam as she remembered being surrounded by that scent; wrapped in Ren's powerful arms, curled against his chest, whispering in his ear, and looking into his eyes as he looked back at Setsuka like she was the only woman alive.

 _Just this once._ Kyoko told herself as she wrapped the coat around her shoulders and stuck her arms into the sleeves. _Just this once I'll pretend he was really looking at me._ She fell asleep with the lingering scent of the man she loved wrapped around her; her modesty displaced by a desperate need she was terrified to acknowledge. She needed him.

* * *

 **A/N: Unfortunately, the amount of time I have to write is about to be significantly reduced, because** _someone_ **decided they should go back to school for their Master's degree. (Author glares at her alter ego as it cowers behind an over-sized engineering textbook.) And apparently my husband likes to see me occasionally too.**

 **So I tried to get as much written as I could when I had the time but future updates are more likely to be spaced 1-3 weeks apart.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 *** It seems I've gotten a couple of comments in different languages so I wanted to leave a note about the English idioms I used because I don't know how well they translate.**

" **Lick their wounds" - to spend time getting back one's strength or happiness after a defeat or bad experience. (Source: Verbatim from the Cambridge Dictionary)**

" **The final straw" - describes the seemingly minor or routine action which causes an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, because of the cumulative effect of small actions. (Source: Verbatim from Wikipedia)**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	6. Chapter 6: The Photograph

Chapter 6: The Photograph

 **The Story so far:** **Kuon has finally drifted off to sleep after his first day in the mental hospital left him feeling isolated. Not too far away Kyoko is having embarrassing dreams about him as she sleeps peacefully in his trench coat.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

* * *

Tuesday morning in the psychiatric hospital…

Kuon was pulled from his restless dreams by the sensation of having his forehead repeatedly poked. He blinked slowly as he tried to process what was going on. Kenji was standing above him with a wide grin on his face while Ryu stared at him like he had done something very interesting. Next to Kenji, Yoshi glanced away guiltily as he pretended he wasn't about to poke Kuon one more time for good measure. Kuon glared up at them halfheartedly and their smiles seemed to wilt.

"You didn't sleep very well did you?" Kenji asked, his chipper tone adding to Kuon's irritation.

"No." Kuon's voice was harsher than intended.

"Now. Now. Don't get grumpy with us." Kenji started. "Just be glad we're waking you up before the doctor gets here. What would Doctor Kei say if she saw you sleeping on the floor huddled in a pile of blankets?" Ren looked down to find himself covered with not one blanket but four in a tight wrap of cloth.

"You were talking in your sleep and crying." Yoshi explained as Ryu nodded in agreement.

"So you gave me your blankets?" Kuon asked as his irritation subsided and confusion took its place.

"You were shivering too." Yoshi added.

Ryu walked closer and knelt on the floor to bring his face level with Kuon's. "You were dreaming of your woman weren't you? I could tell from the way you said her name."

Kuon nodded as he felt new tears threaten to spill from his eyes. _**We always dream of her.**_

"So what's she like?" Ryu questioned as he looked at Kuon expectantly. "The woman you cryed out for in your dreams… She must be pretty special."

Kuon tried to speak around the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat. "She is special. She is… She is… well…" His head drooped as his words failed him and he let out a frustrated sigh.

Ryu looked at Kuon with understanding. "You aren't ready to talk about her are you?"

Kuon just shook his downturned head.

"That's Ok. But remember you have to talk to Doctor Kei about her today." Kuon lifted his head to look drearily at Ryu as he continued. "Because that was your goal for yesterday. And it has to get done today, because you'll be back out in the world at this time tomorrow."

Kuon's mind went blank as he tried to remember why that last piece of information seemed so important. His eyes widened and a sharp inhale accompanied his realization. _**Kyoko is coming to get me tomorrow.**_

* * *

Back in Cain's hotel room…

The alarm on the bedside table sprung to life, blaring a rock song Kyoko had never heard before. Slamming her hand down on the off button and bolting into an upright position, she looked around the room in a panic. _Where am I? What am I doing here?_

The realization was slow as she took in her surroundings. She was in a hotel room. Alone. The blankets had been thrown off the bed in a haphazard manner and she sat wrapped in Cain's trench coat like a small child borrowing her father's clothes. A blush crept quickly up her cheeks as she remembered how she had ended up in this situation. As her natural pale complexion transitioned to cherry blossom pink, she remembered wrapping Ren's scent around her and drifting off to sleep feeling like the luckiest woman alive. Now however, she scolded herself. _What were you thinking sleeping in his clothes?!_

Kyoko straightened her back and cupped her face in her hands. Slapping her cheeks lightly with both hands she started talking to herself. "Ok. I can't dwell on this. Cain needs Setsu. So that is exactly what he is going to get." She closed her eyes and counted backwards 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… She opened her eyes again… and was still Kyoko. _It's not working. I can't concentrate on becoming Setsuaka. I just keep thinking about Tsuruga-san._

Misery seemed to seep out of Kyoko as she went about Setsuka's normal morning routine. First, she tended to her skin. Then she walked over to Setsuka's suit case and started to dig through the bag to look for an outfit. She had managed to get a pair of tight pants almost all the way on before she remembered the blistering heat outside. Reluctantly Kyoko pulled the leather pants back off of her slender frame and traded them for a pair of form fitting black shorts. Once she was dressed she just had to brush her hair, do her makeup, and somehow get back into character before going to face Cain's co-workers at breakfast.

Ten minutes later Kyoko found herself standing in front of a full length mirror in the hotel room entryway. Her hair was artfully messy, her makeup practically perfect, and she still had no idea how to get into Setsuka's character. Too many other thoughts swirled through her mind as she sank further into a miasma of her own self-loathing.

 _I'm SOOOooooOOOOoooo Sorry Tsuruga-senpai! I'm unworthy of being your kohai! I keep doing embarrassing things: I turned into Setsuka in the middle of an audition because I was worried about you; I got in a fight with Murasame because he insulted you; I slept in your clothes because I missed you; and now I can't get into character because I keep picturing how disappointed you are going to be when you find about what I did. Love really does make you do stupid things._

* * *

Mid-morning in the psychiatric hospital common room…

Kuon watched Yoshi as the teen excitedly watched the clock. Over breakfast Yoshi had delighted in telling Kuon that room 205 had control of the communal TV from 10am to noon every Tuesday. So it wasn't surprising at all to see the teen counting down the seconds until he could ask the nurse to turn on the TV and change it to the only Japanese channel broadcast in Guam.

As the second hand finished its revolution Yoshi stood and looked expectantly at the nurse in the far corner of the room. She nodded to him and grabbed the TV remote off of her desk. "Same channel as usual Yoshi?"

"Yes please!"

The TV flickered to life and Kuon felt himself smiling as Yoshi scampered off to sit in front of the large black box. Picking up his coffee Kuon joined the excited teen on the couch as a Japanese entertainment news program started up. Kuon recognized the hosts and cringed. The last time he had seen them they had been trying to get Ren to admit to sleeping with one of his co-stars in the drama Purple Down. He hadn't slept with her of course, but the hosts were far more interested in creating scandal than any real entertainment news.

Kuon was unimpressed. Yoshi on the other hand, was captivated as the hosts talked about 'the stars biggest secrets'. A few minutes later all of the residents of room 205 sat together in front of the TV as the hosts of the show made wild accusations about a number of the top talents in Japan. Kuon didn't really want to watch the show, but he couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from it either.

The program was almost over when Doctor Kei entered the common room and tapped Kuon on the shoulder. "Kuon," she whispered, "After this show ends I'd like to talk to you a little more. Would that be Ok?"

Kuon answered in the affirmative and then turned back to watch the last 3 minutes of the show.

"We'd like to end our show with a warning to all of Japan's entertainment stars. Just because you are filming overseas, doesn't mean we aren't watching you." The male host of the show seemed to really be enjoying the buildup and for a moment Kuon wondered if Ren's secret was about to be unveiled. He could see the headlines now "Tsuruga Ren revealed to be son of movie icon Hizuri Kuu after a mishap on set led him to be admitted to an insane asylum'. _On second thought that might be a little long for a headline._ The reality was so much worse than that. At least for Kuon.

The female host smiled sweetly. "That said. We would still like to congratulate Taira Murasume on his stunning new girlfriend."

Kuon felt the coffee cup fall from his hand as his jaw dropped. Not even one second later his anger overwhelmed his momentary shock. On the screen in vivid color was a photograph of Setsuka with Murasame's hands on her waist.

In the photo Murasame was looking down at her with lust clearly written across his face as she looked back up at him with her hands balled in the collar of his shirt. She was leaning into him as if she were trying to crawl up his body; her right knee pressed between his legs and her hips tilted forward as if she intended to grind them against him. Her left leg was supporting her body weight as it created a sensuous long line of flesh from her dainty foot up to the lacy edge of her black panties. Her tousled hair made it look as though she had just rolled out of bed and Kuon could barely see the tank top she wore through the thick mass of blonde locks that fell around her.

Kuon felt his blood boil. Kyoko was too innocent for this and Setsuka would never make an advance on any man other than her brother _ **. Murasame took advantage of Kyoko. Pure, innocent, trusting, Kyoko.**_

" _ **I'll Fucking Kill Him!**_ " Kuon rumbled as he rose to his feet. His voice was quiet, but the menace in it resonated through the room. His roommates scattered at the sound and all other eyes turned to watch him. " _ **How Dare He Touch Her!**_ "

Kuon stood before the TV with every muscle in his body taut. His limbs shook visibly as he fought off the urge to smash the TV to dust. His eyes held a dark light and as he looked out on the other occupants of the room he knew that they would never be able to look at him the same way again. Kuon recognized that look in their eyes.

 _Real fear_. Not the shadow of fear the Cain evoked, but _real fear_ ; the kind of fear that paralyzed people and turned their lives into waking nightmares. He had forgotten that look. Intentionally erased it from his memories. _**I never wanted this. I never wanted to be a monster. I only ever wanted to protect myself. I only want to protect her.**_

The world around Kuon seemed to be losing color as he sunk into his own inner darkness. To protect the woman he loved from himself, he willed the darkness to swallow him whole.

 _Kuon!_ Ren's screamed in their head. _Stop!_

 _ **You were right. She isn't safe with us. She isn't safe with me.**_

 _No Kuon! I was wrong!_

Ren's words never reached him. Kuon wasn't listening anymore. He was transfixed by his memories as they took form and played like silent movies before him in the all-consuming darkness.

Doctor Kei stood frozen in place. _Fear._ She thought to herself as she forced her mind into action. _No this is more intense than fear. This is terror._ The doctor had worked in a hospital for the criminally insane for nearly 15 years before transferring to this facility. Yet in all her years of working with murderers, torturers, and rapists this was only the second time she had felt this level of mind numbing, body paralyzing terror.

The man who invoked a similar terror was the very reason she had left that hospital. He wasn't crazy. He just knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was the scariest thing in existence. And he wore that knowledge like a badge of honor. Even heavily sedated and tied up in a straitjacket, his presence was enough to make the doctor's skin crawl. He was the only person she had ever met that had literally scared someone to death.

Every fiber of the doctor's being told her to flee from Kuon. Yet she held her ground as the other people in the room fell to pieces. Despite the overwhelming aura of violence, Kuon hadn't made a single move towards anyone. He seemed to have no interest at all in what anyone else was doing. Rather it looked like he was folding in on himself, trying to raise the same walls Doctor Kei had seen him build around himself the day before.

The doctor watched as the young man in front of her pulled his walls securely back in place and bowed deeply. Without looking up Ren addressed the occupants of the room. "I'm terribly sorry about my outburst. I have been playing the role of serial killer for my next movie and I seem to have lost myself for a moment."

* * *

Around that same time in Cain's hotel room…

Kyoko stood at the foot of the bed with her hands on her hips, trying to mimic Setsuka. Laid out on the bed before her was an assortment of Cain's clothing and Setsuka's largest purse. She sighed in defeat as she sunk into the arm chair in the corner of the room.

She had spent the last hour and a half trying to do things that Setsuka would do in order to get back in character. It just wasn't working. In a final act of desperation she had decided to try to pack a bag for Cain. At the time it had seemed like something Setsuka would do. She would definitely have thought to bring clean clothes for her brother to change into after he checked out of the hospital… But the more Kyoko considered it, the less likely it seemed that Setsuka would actually do that.

She might pack a bag, but she would probably forget to bring it with her the next morning. Then there was the problem of not actually having a bag big enough to pack Cain's clothes in. None of Setsuka's purses were large enough to fit a pair of Cain's pants no matter how tightly Kyoko folded them up. There was also the problem of the 'get well' gift that President Takarada insisted she take with her. The President had been quite adamant that the gift needed to be delivered before anyone else could see Cain… But once the little box had been stuffed in Setsuka's purse, she couldn't fit anything else in the bag except for her foundation compact and a small hair brush.

A knock at the door redirected Kyoko's attention from her packing dilemma. Figuring it was probably a maid with the hotel Kyoko stood and walked over to the door to ask them to come back later. As she approached she heard another knock and a familiar voice.

"Setsuka-san?" Director Konoe spoke through the door. "I'm getting ready to go to set but I wanted to check on you since you didn't come down for breakfast. I don't think it's healthy to lock yourself up in your room like this." He paused. "Actually we are working with a large group of extras today and I was thinking that you might like the opportunity to act in your brother's movie."

That was an offer Setsuka just couldn't refuse. Her soul wrapped itself around Kyoko like a second skin and she called back to the director. "Just let me get my coat." With that Setsuka sauntered over to the bed and wrapped Cain's trench coat around her once again. _Because this is what Setsuka would do._ Kyoko reassured herself as she basked in the memories of Ren's embrace once more. _Because she is his. And he is hers._

* * *

The psychiatric hospital after 'the incident'…

Ren sat alone in Doctor Kei's office as the sounds of a heated argument filtered through the heavy door. It had taken nearly 2 hours for the staff to put the hospital back in order after Kuon's outburst. Several of the patients had fainted in place and needed to be carried back to their beds. A number of others were found hiding in various places after they had fled the community room. The few in the room that had remained conscious seemed to be too scared to even explain what had happened. As the doctors and nurses tried to coax the information out of them more than one of the patients started weeping openly.

At the end of the damage control effort all of the patients were back in their rooms and the hospital had used an alarming large amount of its sedative supply. Now the staff was trying to sort out the particulars of what had happened. There had been three nurses in the community room at the time of 'the incident' as it was now being called, but two of them had fainted along with the patients. The last nurse had just looked at Ren while the doctors asked her what had happened and screamed at the top of her lungs when he stood from his bow.

Doctor Kei it seemed was the only one who retained some of her composure; though she had still visibly flinched away from Ren as she led him down to her office. Now she stood in the hallway justifying her decision to bring Ren to her office instead of immediately locking him away. "He isn't a threat." She shouted.

"Isn't a threat?!" Another doctor yelled in disbelief. "You said yourself he threatened to kill someone!"

"Plenty of people make threats they'll never act on. He was angry but he never moved to act on that anger."

"Never moved to act?! You saw Victoria's face as she stared at him. She was absolutely terrified. We have an entire hospital full of near comatose patients because of one interaction with that man. And you expect us to let something like _That_ walk the halls?!"

"Kuon is an actor. _That_ is just one of his characters. He saw his fellow actors on screen and got over excited. That's all."

 _You're wrong Doctor Kei._ Ren thought to himself. _It's because he was holding Kyoko._

In their head Kuon watched as his younger self turned around in slow motion. He had heard the rev of the engine and sickening sound of breaking bones. Then he saw Rick lying motionless in the street as his blood flowed onto the asphalt. The vehicle that stole Rick's life was long gone but it didn't change the fact that Kuon knew who it was. He stood there frozen on the side of street as Rick's girlfriend ran to hold the man's broken body in her arms. "Murderer!" She screamed at Kuon and he knew it was true.

This was the 6th time Kuon had watched the scene since he retreated inside the darkness. Losing Rick had devastated him when it first happened, but as time went on it haunted him more and more. _ **I was supposed to be the one that died that day.**_ _**The driver was aiming for me.**_ _**If Rick hadn't chased me into the street he would still be alive.**_

* * *

Elsewhere, on the set of Tragic Marker…

Murasame looked skeptically over at Director Konoe as he instructed Setsuka on how to play one of BJ's victims. It had surprised Murasame when the director suddenly announced that she would be acting in today's scenes. In the weeks spent filming with Cain, the actor's little sister never showed any interest in anything that didn't directly involve her brother. Yet today she was supposed to be an actress. She even had a line. _If you call screaming for help a line._

Of course Murasame barely recognized the girl now that she had been to wardrobe and makeup. While she was usually a disinterested gothic beauty she looked almost normal in jeans and a t-shirt with her hair pulled up in high ponytail. _Well maybe not totally normal._ Even with light makeup that was supposed to make her look 'natural' she was still Setsuka. She carried herself with an air of indifference and even when people spoke directly to her she seemed to look past them as if they weren't really there. For her no one but her brother existed _._

After settling into his chair by the camera the director spoke to the assembled actors. "Ok places everyone. Extras remember not to push Murasame-san, Manaka-san, or Setsuka-san forward with you as you run away from BJ. They need to be at the back of the group. Ok… Ready… and… action."

All of the actors surged forward with looks of horror on their faces as they rounded a corner and started running directly towards the camera as if they were being chased. Murasame ran at the back of the group as he pulled Manaka along behind him. Setsuka ran slightly in front of them and all three of them lagged a few steps behind the escaping extras. According to the plot line Manaka's character was injured so she needed help to run, but Setsuka's character was just unfortunate enough to be wearing 5 inch high heeled sneakers when the undead serial killer appeared.

Murasame watched as Setsuka suddenly tripped. She fell to her knees with her hands splayed out before her as panic marred her beautiful face.

"Oh my god! Setsuka are you ok?" Manaka squealed as she stopped mid scene to try to help the fallen woman.

The look on Setsuka's face transitioned from panicked to disbelieving as she blinked up at Manaka. "Did you really just stop the scene so you could check if I was Ok?" Setsuka questioned as her expression got darker.

Manaka nodded. "Of course. The wellbeing of all of the actors on set is important."

"So… You stopped the scene where I was supposed to trip and desperately try to scramble to safety… because you saw me trip?" Setsuka's tone got colder with every sentence that followed. "It's not exactly easy to fall in high heels without hurting yourself. So I'd appreciate if we could do this scene in as few takes as possible. Though I recognize it might be hard for second rate talent like yourself."

Manaka drew back from Setsuka like she had been slapped and Murasame stepped in between the two. "You were acting?" He asked with uncertainty in his voice. _I was sure she had really hurt herself._

Setsuka's gaze shifted up to Murasame . "Well, I am my brother's sister." She answered in her normal sultry voice. "Of course my acting puts the rodent's to shame." Inhaling deeply she spoke again, her voice saturating with desire. "I just can't wait to act with my brother."

* * *

Doctor Kei's office 3 hours after 'the incident'…

"Kuon?" The doctor asked as she walked into her office flanked by three muscle bound orderlies.

"He's not available at the moment. Can I take a message?" Ren responded flatly.

"Then who are you?" The doctor questioned as she settled into her high backed chair.

Ren looked at the slight woman from his perch as he considered how to answer. He had wheeled the armless office chair into the far corner of the room and now sat with his back to the wall. The chair was spun around the opposite direction and his legs straddled the backrest as he hugged it to his chest. He looked every bit the gentlemanly model he was supposed to be. "Tsuruga Ren." He answered.

"Ah. But Tsuruga Ren is just a character that you play isn't he Kuon?"

Ren ignored the question. "What is going to happen to me Doctor?"

* * *

 **A/N: I feel like I should apologize for taking so long to get Kyoko and Ren/Kuon in the same room. I'm sure I've lost some people because of the pace of the story, but for those of you who've stuck with me chapter 7 is titled Reunion.**

 **I'd also like to thank everyone for their comments. It delights me to no end to have gotten such a warm reception to the Skip Beat! fanfiction community.**

 **Well… That's enough procrastinating for today. Thank you for reading everyone.**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	7. Chapter 7: Reunion

Chapter 7: Reunion

 **The Story so far: After Kuon's fit of rage left him in an uncertain situation, Ren only had one question. "What is going to happen to me Doctor?"**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

 ***Side note: This particular chapter may be pushing the line between T and M rating. I had to make up a couple of details of Kuon's dark past.**

* * *

Tuesday afternoon on the set of Tragic Marker, 2 1/2 hours after 'the incident'...

"Setsuka." Director Konoe called through the door of the wardrobe trailer. "Your phone is ringing." Before he even finished speaking a slender hand reached out of the door and snatched the phone from his grasp.

"Yeah?" Setsuka asked in a disinterested voice in English.

"Is this Setsuka Heel?" A polite male voice on the other end of the line questioned.

"Yeah it is. Why do you care?"

"You were listed as an emergency contact for one Hizuri Kuon. It says here that you are his sister. Is that correct?"

"Yeah. That's me." Setsuka responded casually. _Hizuri Kuon? That is Father's son._ Kyoko thought to herself as she hid in Setsuka's shell. _Why is Cain using another alias?_ _Everyone on set already knows he is in the hospital. And why would he pick that?_ His selection of name just didn't make sense to Kyoko. Hizuri Kuon was the son of her mentor Hizuri Kuu. On request she had at one time even acted out the part of young Kuon for her mentor and been informally adopted by the world class actor. Ever since she had called him Father and he had called her Son.

"There has been an incident involving your brother. His physical health is fine but we'd like for you to come to the hospital as soon as possible."

"I'll be there in 30 minutes." She hung up the phone without another word. _Ren?! You told me you were alright. What happened?_

* * *

Back in Doctor Kei's office, 3 hours after 'the incident'…

"What is going to happen to me Doctor?" Ren asked in a detached voice.

A knock sounded on the heavy door, cutting off the doctor's response. Only a split second later it started to open and was roughly stopped as a man squawked in the hallway. "You can't just walk in like that!"

"You said my brother was in there. Are you not going to let me see him?" Setsuka's heated voice demanded through the crack in the door.

Doctor Kei watched with interest as the young man lounging in the corner of her office seemed to stop breathing at the sound of the woman's voice. A moment later he took another breath and swallowed as if his mouth were suddenly dry. It was the most normal thing the doctor had seen him do since 'the incident'. For that brief moment he was a man again instead of an actor. Then that glimmer of humanity was gone again behind the actor's painfully professional smile.

The doctor tried and failed to suppress the shudder that ran through her body in response to that smile. The smile was exactly the same as the one he wore when first arriving at the hospital, at the time it hadn't bothered Doctor Kei at all. Now however, it was disturbing how real the fake smile seemed to be. She could even sense the orderlies around her starting to relax in the man's presence. Even after the incident he managed to put them at ease. Of course they hadn't been in the community room. Until someone had experienced it firsthand there was no way to comprehend what true terror felt like... Or what it meant that the man in the corner could induce it.

"It's alright we were the ones who invited her to come see her brother." The doctor said without taking her eyes off of Ren. "Come on in Miss Heel."

Glaring towards the man that had dared to stop her initial advance, Setsuka stepped through the door. Her eyes swept over the small room at a sedate pace as if she were looking for something, but was in no hurry to find it. "Where is my brother?" She asked the doctor after completing her survey of the room.

The doctor found herself turning towards the teen without intending to. _What does she mean by "Where is her brother?" He's right there._ The young woman just looked back at the doctor with an unimpressed expression. Her body language clearly said she didn't care about the man in the corner; it was as if he didn't even exist in her eyes. Confused, Doctor Kei shifted her attention back to Ren as he sat quietly in the corner, making no move in interact with the woman who had just entered. _Do I know her from somewhere?_

It wasn't that Ren had decided not to act. It was more an issue of all intellectual processes coming to a complete halt in his head the moment Kyoko entered the room. It had only been 2 weeks, but to him it felt like years since he has seen her. It had been far too long since she lit up his world with her presence. The sensation was like being welcomed into a warm cabin after trudging through the frozen tundra for days; her warmth was pure ecstasy, but the abrupt change left him disoriented. Had he been saved? Or was his subconscious protecting him as he froze to death alone in the unforgiving wilderness?

Ren's thoughts were disjointed as his brain resumed normal operations. _Am I hallucinating? That is Kyoko standing right there isn't it? What is she doing here? How did she get in? She wasn't supposed to be here until tomorrow. And is she wearing my coat? No I'm definitely hallucinating._ Ren's brain experienced another temporary shutdown as something much lower in his body tried to correct his thinking. The redirection of blood flow let him know quite clearly that she was really here and regardless of the situation he wanted her. With the small amount of awareness Ren had left he called out to Kuon. Kuon however, still wasn't listening, engrossed in his self-torture.

"Is Hizuri Kuon not your brother?" The doctor questioned as she looked back at Setsuka.

Setsuka sighed and replied in a tone that indicated that the information should have been common knowledge. "No. He isn't. Kuon Hizuri is my Father's other son. My brother is Cain Heel. And that guy in the corner is Ren Tsuruga." Inside Kyoko cringed as she said Ren's name using the western name order and left off the honorific. "How could you have gotten them confused? My brother is way cooler than either of those other two."

Ren's professional smile got a little brighter and he looked almost proud. He knew exactly how hard it was for Kyoko to speak disrespectfully of others, especially him. Inside their head the silent film rolling in front of Kuon came to a stuttering halt. _**Did Kyoko just say my name? Did I really just hear her say Kuon Hizuri?**_

"Does it really matter if we are blood related?" Ren asked Doctor Kei while she considered Setsuka's explanation of their relationship.

"It doesn't have to be by blood, but given the situation we would not have asked her to come if we realized she wasn't family." The doctor answered. She was about to continue and ask if they actually shared the same father when Ren spoke up.

"In that case." He said as his posture changed. His shoulders drooped and his slouch became more defined as he shifted forward on the chair. He rolled his neck as if it was stiff and his dark hair fell into his face. Beneath the veil of hair, his eyes darkened. As he looked up the orderlies all stiffened in response. Cain Heel had made his entrance.

"Brother!" Setsuka purred happily as she started walking towards him. An orderly grabbed her shoulder out of concern and she turned on the man. He dropped his hand as she whirled, but Setsuka did seem to care. "Let go of me! What is wrong with you people?! How come no one will let me see my brother?!"

"Setsu." Cain's deep voice came from behind her. "Let the man do his job."

Setsuka pouted as she looked back over her shoulder at her brother.

He hadn't moved. He looked like Cain. He sounded like Cain. But neither Setsuka nor Kyoko really believed that the man in the corner was really in the act. If he was, he would have been halfway across the room, threating the orderly for being so bold as to touch his precious little sister. "Are you sick or something?" Setsuka asked.

"Somehow you always see right through me don't you?" Ren's words were delivered in Cain's voice and Kyoko paused.

It was really strange. Kyoko had seen Ren break character before, but he had never failed to get all the way into character before. Kyoko watched as Ren's shell started to crumble. He couldn't act out Cain and deal with his internal turmoil at the same time. To anyone else it was probably imperceptible, but to Kyoko the slight inconsistencies in Cain made it clear that something was terribly wrong with Ren.

"Tsuruga-senpai?" She asked hesitantly as Setsuka left her body. Turning her head back towards the orderly who had held her in place she addressed the man with pleading eyes. "I'm terribly sorry about the disturbance. And I'm sorry about lying to you about being his sister, but… I needed to see him. I need to see him."

Doctor Kei was perplexed. The entire situation was too strange for her with her already frayed nerves. She had dealt with dissociative identity disorders (multiple personalities) before, but the personalities tend not to be so aware of each other. From her point of view Kuon was just Kuon. He didn't complain of memory loss and he seemed to be making conscious decisions to change his behavior. The diagnosis didn't fit, but the doctor was having a hard time coming up with any other reasonable alternatives.

And then there was the young woman in the trench coat. She had just transformed into a different person too. While the Setsuka had claimed to have no relation to Tsuruga Ren, the second woman clearly knew and cared about him. Had the man and the woman been feeding each other's delusions? But if they had, how was it that they were both responsive to the other's needs? The doctor had seen Kuon transform into... _what was it Cain Heel?_ Because the Setsuka would only acknowledge her brother. Then something in their conversation had resulted in the woman's personality change to accommodate Kuon. Doctor Kei was out of her depth.

"Mogami-san? You needed to see me?" Ren's voice was hesitant as it poured from Cain's throat. _Kuon… She needed to see us._

 _ **I heard her.**_ Kuon spoke from inside his self-constructed prison.

 _She says she needs to see us even though we're in the same room. It means she knows Kuon. Or she at least senses it somehow._

 _ **Knows what?**_

 _Knows that you're missing._

 _ **I always hide behind your mask. How could she possibly know?**_

 _I've never been a good enough actor to hide you from her eyes. From the rest of the world, but never her._

 _ **I'm afraid I'll hurt her. Scare her away forever. And that would be the end of us wouldn't it? You'd join me here in the darkness... Or would you simply cease to exist... I wonder... You always seemed fragile Ren. Like I used to be.**_

 _Kuon... if you are going to abandon her you should at least tell her yourself._

 _ **I can't Ren.**_

 _I won't tell her for you. You love her enough to sacrifice yourself for her. So you know how much it will hurt her to lose you. Even if she never loves us back; she considers us her friend. It would devastate her and you know it._

Kyoto turned to face the actor in the corner without getting any closer. He looked at her with fear in his eyes and she felt her heart breaking. _He's afraid of me._

"I… I guess I should be going. I'm so sorry for interrupting Tsuruga-san." She said as she bowed. "Excuse me." A tear slid down her face as she took a step towards the door.

"Kyoko. Wait." Kuon's voice was full of desperation as he reached out for her. "Don't… leave…" Cain's presence vanished from the room as quickly as it had come, leaving nothing but a vulnerable young man in its wake.

He looked like a forlorn child and Kyoko was reminded of her own childhood. Pain crossed her face briefly as she remembered when she used to cry out for her mother. Suddenly, she knew what caused the fear in his eyes. She clasped her hands to her chest as a tremor ran through her body. The fear in his eyes was the fear of being abandoned, being discarded, being left all alone.

In front of her Kuon was withdrawing his hand and looking at the ground as if he couldn't face the rejection he expected to see on her face. In that moment Kyoko knew that if she didn't grab that hand, the man she loved would never recover.

Doctor Kei watched as the young woman reached her hand back for Kuon. The urgency in her movements made her seem clumsy, but it didn't seem to matter to either the man or woman. All that mattered was that she took his hand. As a psychiatrist, the doctor was used to being privy to peoples secrets, but it was rare even for her to witness such a private moment. It took her breath away.

Kyoko wasn't even certain how she had managed to get across the room. The only thing on her mind had been reaching his outstretched hand before he could finish pulling it away. Her right hand wrapped around his wrist as the rest of her body collapsed towards the floor. She caught her body weight on her left elbow as she fell onto her side. It hurt but not enough to break her concentration. She stared up into the blue-green eyes of the man she loved and willed him to understand. Even with colored contacts they were still his eyes and she needed him to understand. _You are not alone._

Kuon stared back into Kyoko's amber eyes as a ring of warmth settled around his right wrist. She was looking at him the way she had when they were children, with adoration, with love. The kind of love he desperately wanted, but knew he didn't deserve. His heartrate quickened and he knew she felt it as his pulse pounded against her tiny hand.

Kyoko felt like her vocal cords were paralyzed. "Ren." She breathed.

Kuon shook his head and tears started to flow. "That isn't my real name."

Kyoko had known that Tsuruga Ren was a stage name for a long time, but it hardly mattered to her. It didn't change who he was. "I know."

"I've been lying to you."

"About what?"

Kuon just shook his head as he broke from her gaze.

In the back of her mind the sensation of betrayal flickered to life and Kyoko repeated herself more forcefully. "About what?"

"Who I really am." Kuon whispered.

"No you haven't." Her words confused Kuon and he found himself looking back into her sparkling golden eyes. Only now they were wet with tears of her own. "I may not know your real name, but I know you. You are Japan's greatest actor. And it's not because of your looks or your connections. It's because you love your work with all your heart. You don't play your characters. You become them and they become a part of you just like my roles do. When a job ends you feel sad for the loss of that part of you even if you didn't like the character themselves."

As Kyoko paused Kuon reached out to wipe the tears from her face. "You're moody. And you're temperamental. And you have the worst fake smile I have ever seen. But your real one is breathtaking. You can't cook at all and you have terrible eating habits. And sometimes I wonder if you'd survive without me and Yashiro around. You love to tease me even if I don't understand what you mean half the time. And you have the most annoying American shrug."

The actress sniffled as Kuon wiped another set of tears from her face. "Most people think you're kind, but they're wrong. I've seen them you know. The Emperor of the Night and the Demon Lord. You're polite, but you aren't kind. Not to people who aren't close to you anyways. And you're my friend. My very best friend after Moko-san. You're the first person I was able to talk to about Sho. And you're the good luck charm that protects me from the Beagle. You always help me when I ask. And… and…"

Kyoko couldn't quite say it as she looked into his eyes. _No. Now is not the time to tell him. You need to do what is right for him. You can't tell him you love him._ She gulped audibly. "And I am the luckiest girl in the world to have had you as my senpai. It doesn't matter what you real name. You're still you Ren."

"Kuon." He corrected. "My real name is Hizuri Kuon."

"Of course. Kuon." She answered as her checks flushed. Kuon absolutely beamed as he heard her say his name like it was the most natural thing in the world. Any lesser woman would have melted into a puddle on the floor when face to face with that smile. In fact sitting 6 feet away Doctor Kei did just that, her chest constricting as she struggled to get air back into her lungs. _How can he be so scary one minute and mind boggling charismatic the next?_

Kuon dropped his right hand to the floor and used it to support his weight as he slid off of the chair. He moved slowly so not to disturb Kyoko's hold on his wrist. His movements were almost animalistic as he placed one knee firmly on the ground before pulling his other leg across the seat of the chair and bringing the second knee to the floor. His left hand finally left the top of the chair back and he rolled the empty seat away from them. Pulling his left knee forward between his hands he sat on his left hip with his right leg trailing behind his body. It brought him even closer to the stunning amber orbs that haunted his dreams, Kyoko's beautiful soul piercing eyes.

Kyoko froze in place her heart beating wildly. She couldn't take the intensity of his gaze. _What do I do? Is there something else I should say?_ She wasn't sure, so she said the first words that came to mind. "Did you know you're even more handsome than Corn?"

Doctor Kei sat up in alarm at hearing the young woman's words. The end of her first session with Kuon flashed though her mind. " _She called me her fairy prince Corn"_ The doctor's eyes widened and her mind started racing in circles, trying to connect the dots. _She's the girl. But he hasn't told her that he was her fairy prince. She doesn't know._ A few seconds later the doctor also figured out where she had seen the woman before. _She was the woman on the TV. The woman in another man's arms._

The cause of 'the incident' became very clear to Doctor Kei in that moment and she all but leapt out of her chair to drag the young woman away from Kuon. _He saw a picture of her cheating on him. And now I've practically served her up on a platter._ The doctor thought as she dragged the protesting teen over to the door.

"Doctor Kei?" Kuon asked as he blinked at her in confusion. "Why are you dragging Mogami-san away from me?"

"Are you not mad at her for what she did?" The doctor questioned as she looked at the passive man uncertainly. _Why didn't he try to intervene?_

Kyoko whined pathetically behind the doctor's back. "What did you find out about Tsuruga-senapi?"

"What should I have found out about Mogami-san?" He questioned in response.

"Um… Are you mad that I slept in your trench coat last night…? Because you told me that it was improper for me to wear clothes that a man bought… except for the things that Cain bought for Setsuka... But… I…"

Kuon could barely suppress his smile as Ren joined him in a creating an image of Kyoko sleeping in their trench coat. Although in their version she seemed to have forgotten to wear anything under the coat. _**She**_ _must_ _ **have**_ _really_ _ **missed**_ _us_ _ **.**_ They spoke in unison with matching smirks in their mind.

 _Did she just refer to Setsuka in the third person?_ The doctor wondered as she tried to piece together who the young woman behind her actually was.

"No Mogami-san. I didn't know about that. But seeing as you play Setsuka and how that is actually Cain's trench coat, I don't see any real problem."

"Oh. Then… are you mad that I took Cain's call when I was at my audition? I know I shouldn't have because the Heel siblings are supposed to be a secret. But…" Kyoko tapped her index fingers together nervously. "Murasame-san called and said you had been rushed to the hospital because you passed out on set. Then the doctor who was looking after you called to ask some questions about your medical history, but he hung up on me when he realized we weren't family… and I was really worried about you."

Kuon and Ren stared at her through the same eyes and both wondered the same thing. _**She**_ _was_ _ **that**_ _worried_ _ **about**_ _us?_ The next words that flowed from their mouth took both of them by surprise and neither would admit saying them aloud. "Then I suppose we should get married so we are actually family. Don't you think?"

Kyoko turned a shade of red that neither man had ever seen before as the doctor standing in front of her seemed to pale. The orderlies in the room had all moved to form a wall around Kyoko, but the doctor herself stood at the center, directly in Kuon's path.

"Tsu… Tsu.. Tsuru…" Kyoko stammered.

"Now. Now." Kuon corrected. "From here on out you may only call me Kuon. Wives don't call their husbands by their last names do they?"

Kyoko assumed he was torturing her on purpose and fell into a full bow on the floor as her typical sobbing rant began. "I'm SOOOooooOOOOoooo Sorry Tsuruga-san! I didn't mean to get in a fight with Murasame." Sob. "But he called you a coward." Sob. "And I couldn't stand to listen to him." Sob. "I'll never do it again." Sob.

"Never do what again?" Kuon questioned as the picture of Murasame holding Kyoko filled his mind. The aura of violence seemed to be building around him again and Doctor Kei suddenly regretted not locking him up when he was still acting docile. The orderlies fell back one step at a time as menace swept across the room. The only one who didn't flinch was Kyoko.

Instead she pressed her forehead to ground and went right back to apologizing. "I shouldn't have opened the door." Sob. "I knew he wanted to pick a fight with you. But you weren't there to defend yourself." Sob. "So I confronted him." Sob. "I know I shouldn't be defending your honor, but he said you were unprofessional." Sob. "So I backed him against a wall and threatened to put him in the hospital." Sniffle. "So he could tell you himself instead of relaying it through me." Sniffle. "That's what I told him." She looked up timidly through Setsuka's bleach blonde hair.

"And you thought you would do so in you underwear?" Kuon pressed as his aura intensified. He could tell she was hiding something from him.

"No… It just sort of happened." She looked ashamed as she glanced up at him with her soul piercing eyes. "I'm really sorry."

"What exactly are you sorry about?" He asked as one of the orderlies started whimpering and Doctor Kei's knees gave way.

"Um… two things. First, for being so bold as to defend your honor when you weren't around. And second…" She cringed as she finally admitted to what was bothering her the most. "I got locked out of the hotel room when I was fighting with Murasame-san and then I stood in the hallway dressed in Setsuka's nightwear until he came back with another key card."

"So nothing happened between you and Murasame? He didn't come into our room and you didn't go into his?" Kuon asked as his fury started to fade. _**She**_ _doesn't_ _ **think**_ _she_ _ **did**_ _anything_ _ **inappropriate**_ _other_ _ **than**_ _stand_ _ **in**_ _the_ _ **hallway**_ _in_ _ **her**_ _underwear_ _ **. She**_ _wasn't_ _ **lusting**_ _after_ _ **him.**_ _She_ _ **was**_ _threatening_ _ **him**_ _the_ _ **best**_ _way_ _ **Setsuka**_ _knows_ _ **how,**_ _with_ _ **her**_ _whole_ _ **body.**_

"No." She responded firmly. "He offered to let me wait in his room, but I told him I wasn't going into any man's hotel room but Cain's."

"Then I suppose I don't need to kill Murasame-san." Kuon mused and Kyoko sat up to look at him over the doctor's slumped shoulders.

"Tsuruga-san." She started before he cut her off with a shake of his head. "Um… Kuon." She tried again. "You wouldn't have actually killed Murasame-san would you?" She looked at him with eyes full of unwavering faith.

Faith in what, Kuon could be quite sure. He opened his mouth to tell her that of course he wouldn't have actually hurt Murasame, but his words stuck in his throat. _**She**_ _has_ _ **faith**_ _in_ _ **me**_ _to_ _ **tell**_ _her_ _ **the**_ _truth_ _ **.**_ Without any regard for the others in the room, he decided to tell the love of his life the truth. As he did so he prepared for her to flee the room; to leave him alone in the hospital to rot. Like he knew he deserved.

"Yes. Mogami-san. I would have killed him." Kuon's voice grew deeper as he pulled his darkness to the surface. He smiled so wide that it seemed to split his face in half as he bared his teeth aggressively. His eyes narrowed and amusement crept into them. He delighted in the idea of beating the other actor to death with bare hands. There would be something wholly satisfy about murdering a trained fighter that way.

Behind Kyoko one of the orderlies passed out and fell unceremoniously to the floor. Neither of his companions moved to help as they stood frozen in their places by a gaze that didn't even flicker in their direction. Kuon only ever looked at Kyoko. Between them the doctor scarcely breathed as she willed herself to be invisible. She was caught in the full force of Kuon's gaze as it swept past her to the woman beyond. Doctor Kei didn't even notice his words; the thudding of her heart beat in her ears had stolen her hearing.

Confusion filled Kyoko's face. "Why?" She asked as she leaned forward onto her hands.

"Because I thought he took advantage of you Mogami-san." Kuon answered honestly as he waited for her to stagger to her feet and run. "I would have killed him because that trash thought he was good enough to touch you."

Kyoko's voice was quiet when she spoke again. "No Tsuruga-san. Why do you think you would have been able to kill him? How can you think you're capable of killing someone?"

A bitter laugh rolled off of Kuon's tongue. "You've got the wrong idea Mogami-san. I've already killed someone. I've been a killer since I was 15." Kyoko's thin frame shook as for the first time she felt truly afraid of Ren, afraid of Kuon. He watched as she swallowed nervously, her eyes growing wide as hysteria seemed to take hold. "The worst part is that he was my very best friend. He was the only person since you who looked at me as my own person."

"Since me?" Kyoko squeaked out.

Kuon had lost himself to his own self-hatred and said too much. _**Shit.**_ _I_ _ **said**_ _that_ _ **out**_ _loud_ _ **.**_

Panic turned to horror on Kyoko's face as she realized where she had seen those blue-green eyes. They had been sitting in the perfect face of her fairy prince, Corn. Tears welled in her eyes as the Beagle's words came back to haunt her. At the time she had been sure he was wrong. He couldn't have been right. _"By now, he is most likely broken, or has already left this world."_ That was what the lead singer of Vie Goul had said about Corn.

All of Kyoko's fear drained away as she desperately racked her brain for a way to help Corn. _He was in so much pain that he couldn't tell anyone about it._ "Corn." She said as her expression changed to concern.

Hearing her mispronounce his name like she had when they were children cut Kuon to his core. All he had wanted to do was protect her. And here he was ruining her fairytale. Taking her most precious memories and crushing them underfoot. He hated himself.

"Corn." Kyoko said again just a bit louder than before. "What happened to you?"

The words spilled from Kuon's mouth without thought. He needed to tell someone. No. That wasn't right. He needed to tell her; that little girl with the glowing golden eyes who made him feel worthy of love for the first time. "Growing up in my father's world wasn't easy. I know I told you as much before, but it always felt like he was looming over me. My parent's loved me but when your parents are virtual gods, you can't do anything right. If I did well it was brushed off as being inevitable. Of course I did well because I was their child. No one would expect anything else. But if I did poorly… I was the worthless child that couldn't do anything right even with my 'outstanding pedigree'. It didn't matter how hard I worked at something. If I won a competition it was always assumed to be because of my parents' connections or money. And sometimes it was even true. All thanks to my overly dotting family."

The choking fear that had saturated the room was fading and Kyoko felt compelled to go to him as he shared his pain. In her eyes the man in the corner was gone, leaving only the distraught figure of the boy who had saved her from her own sadness years ago. She rose to all fours and started to crawl around the fallen doctor as Kuon told her about what their fated meeting had meant to him. "You didn't care who my parents were. You looked at me. Just me. And then when we had to part ways you assured me that I would escape my father's shadow. You assured me I would surpass him someday."

A sad smile crossed Kuon's face. "Our meeting sustained me for a long time. But as I got older it wasn't just the adults in my life accusing me of riding my parents' coattails. It was the children at school. The strangers I met on the streets. I was a mixed blooded bastard whose only redeeming qualities were his looks and his use as a punching bag. I lost track of how many times I woke up alone in an ally covered in my own blood. I guess the thrill of beating on me only lasted as long as I was awake to experience it."

Kyoko pulled Kuon's head into her lap as she reached him. After that, Kuon's words were punctuated by sobs that shook his whole body as it lay curled around Kyoko. "One day Rick found me in another gutter. That beating had been particularly bad; for several hours I couldn't remember who I was. But it didn't matter to Rick. He took me in. He was my first friend since I first met you. He taught me how to fight and told me to stand up for myself."

"The beatings continued but I took less damage than before. Still it didn't really matter to me. I had no self-esteem. I didn't think I was worth standing up for. Then Rick started to introduce me to women. He told me that a man's real worth came from making the woman he loved happy. So I tried to make the women he set me up with happy."

Kuon's eyes glazed over as he continued his story. "That all changed right after I turned 15. It was at the end of another fight and I was already beaten and bloody. They had already pinned me to the ground and were taking turns kicking me. Then one of my attackers made the mistake of calling my girlfriend a whore… I hospitalized all 5 of them. And I enjoyed it."

Revulsion spread across his face. "I fucking enjoyed it. After that it wasn't about standing up for myself anymore. When I fought it was about inflicting as much damage as I had received over the years. I never felt as alive as when I was fighting. And then the rumor's started. In a matter of weeks I had been challenged by every street fighter in Los Angeles. And I won every time. I had become a monster. A legend. And I attracted the wrong type of attention that way."

Kuon rolled his head to look up at Kyoko. In his distress he hadn't even realized he was crying into her thigh. "The women I met always left me. They came and went from my life so fast that I never really bothered to learn anything about them before agreeing to date. I think that was where it started. With Trixie. I had known that she left her boyfriend for me, but it didn't faze me much. Even when I found out later that her boyfriend was the second strongest street fighter in the area I didn't really care. That was until he and his 3 friends ambushed me one night."

He paused as memory flowed over him in a suffocating wave. "Breathe Kuon. Breathe." Kyoko urged.

"I nearly beat them all to death that night. They had attacked me with all the weapons they could carry and I still nearly killed them with my bare hands. That was the first time I learned to differentiate between fear and _real fear_. _Real fear_ is the look in someone's eyes when they realize that you are going to kill them. In that moment they realize that every new breath they take is a gift that you are giving them. Because it's only a matter of time before you decide to land the final blow that takes them from this world. After that Trixe left me and went back to her boyfriend. All along she had only wanted to make him jealous, but he never recovered."

As her breathing returned to normal and her mind forced the world back into focus, Doctor Kei was surprised to see Kuon laying in Kyoko's lap. The air seemed to have cleared and she felt no hostility from the man anymore. She glanced back at the orderlies to find one unconscious and the other two slumped against the walls as all the tension in their muscles drained away. _I can't believe that no one is dead._ She thought to herself as she withdrew a bit further from the couple. _To have that bottled up inside of him and still have so much control…_

"I never approached him again. It didn't matter to me whether he lived or died as long as he stayed the hell away from me. He couldn't take it though. Every waking moment he was looking into the shadows to see if I was coming for him. As his paranoia grew it eventually drove him to act. That night he and 8 of his closest friends confronted me. He had decided that he would rather die in an open brawl then have to continue living his waking nightmare."

Unconsciously Kuon grabbed onto Kyoko's thigh as if seeking comfort. In response she murmured soothing reassurances as she gently petted his head. It was clear that he had reached the hardest part of his story. "The fight wasn't anything special but the guy who called me out ran away in the middle and I chased after him. Rick was there as my back up and he chased me into the street where the 9th man was waiting in his car. They knew they couldn't beat me in a fight. It was all planed so that 9th man would run me down in the street. But he missed. He took Rick's life instead of mine. And I'll never forgive myself for that." Kuon's words had gotten softer as he reached the conclusion of his story. Fresh tears slid down his face as he shivered uncontrollably.

"I think Rick is probably glad he died in your place that day." Kyoko said carefully. "It sounds like all he wanted to do was protect you."

Kuon looked at her with confusion on his face. _**She**_ _is_ _ **supposed**_ _to_ _ **be**_ _terrified_ _ **of**_ _me_ _ **. Appalled**_ _by_ _ **the**_ _murderer_ _ **I**_ _am_ _ **. She**_ _is_ _ **supposed**_ _to_ _ **blame**_ _me_ _ **.**_ His voice was barely audible when he responded. "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

Kyoko's smile lit up the entire room as she looked down at the man in her lap. "Because I know who you really are. And I know that you have never started a fight in your life." Kuon opened his mouth to protest, but she hushed him. "Defending the weak has always been part of a prince's job, Corn. You shouldn't be ashamed of protecting people. I'm sure Rick would be been proud of the man you've become. If a man's real worth is making the woman he loves happy, then I'm sure you are worth more than any other man I've ever met."

"Do I make you happy Kyoko?" Kuon asked hesitantly.

The implications went right over Kyoko's head, but it was the closest Kuon had ever come to admitting that he loved her. "Of course you do Kuon."

"And when you say I'm worth more than any other man you've ever met…" He trailed off as Kyoko nodded at him. He swallowed to clear his throat. "Does that include my father?"

Kyoko blinked at him without understanding. "Have I met your father?"

"Kyoko." He responded gently. "My family name is Hizuri. My father is Hizuri Kuu-san. The international action movie star."

"Father is your father?!" Kyoko asked in surprise. A second later she blushed at the memory of running into Ren when she was acting as a young Kuon. Kuon watched in awe as a delicate smile settled on her lips. Her expression betrayed her feelings. Even if she couldn't say it out loud, she loved the man in her arms with all her heart. He had made her love him even as she fought desperately to remove all things love from her life. "I don't know who the woman you love is Kuon. But if you make her even half as happy as you make me, you are already twice the man your father is."

* * *

Later that evening in Japan…

"President Takarada. Are you still listening?" Kyoko's voice spilled from the phone in the President's hand.

"Yes. Kyoko-chan. I'm still here." Lory answered as he leaned his forehead into the palm of his hand. _Does she not understand the implications of what she just said?_

On the other end of the line Kyoko fidgeted and spoke just to fill the awkward silence. "Doctor Kei has a list of doctors she would recommend if he were staying in Guam, but she didn't know who to recommend in Japan."

"And when I do need to have a doctor arranged, Kyoko?" Lory's voice was as tired as he felt after listening to her long winded explanation.

"Doctor Kei says she won't let him set foot outside of the hospital until she has spoken to his new doctor."

"By tomorrow morning then?"

"Yes. I'm terribly sorry to drop this on you without warning… It's just that we can't leave Kuon alone in the hospital any longer." Lori could almost see the polite bow through the phone as she apologized. It was very typically Kyoko.

"I understand Kyoko-chan. I'll take care of it." Lory said before hanging up the phone with a heavy sigh. _So Ren needs a live in psychiatrist that he can take to work with him? Preferably one with experience working with Dissociative Identity Disorders?_

Lory was half way though his second call when he realized something that made his love obsessed heart skip a beat. _She called him Kuon!_

* * *

 **A/N: Dear Readers,**

 **For those of you who are up to date on the manga releases you probably noticed that Nakamura-sensei doesn't share my vision for the Sacred Lotus story arc. It has left me a little… um… uninspired when it comes to continuing with that particular plot element. So I'd like to ask all you wonderful readers for your opinions. Please leave me a comment or send me a PM with any input because I am honestly torn on how to continue. The way I see it I have following options:**

 **1) I can just ignore what Nakamura-sensei is doing and keep writing the Sacred Lotus characters as I originally imagined them. (Even if it will feel like a betrayal to the Master.)**

 **2) I can try to get Kyoko out of the role of Momiji and keep Kanae's mention about the Sacred Lotus project to a minimum to protect Kyoko's feelings. (Though this option requires me to omit a large amount of the plot I had originally outlined. Plus I have no idea how I am going to get Kyoko out of the role without it feeling unnatural. I mean she worked so hard for that role.)**

 **3) I can bring this story to a fairly graceful close before the filming of Sacred Lotus begins. Then start working on another story that has been rattling around in my brain. Its summary would read like this: "Kyoko always wanted to play a princess. So why is she suddenly regretting the decision to take the role? It wouldn't have anything to do with acting opposed to Cain Heel would it?"**

 **Thoughts?**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **NewUserNamesAreHard**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	8. Chapter 8: Girlfriend

Chapter 8: Girlfriend

 **The Story so far: After a heartfelt reunion Kyoko is finally privy to Kuon's past. The question remains however, what happens next?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

 **A/N: Dear Readers,**

 **I'm pleased to report that everyone hated option 2 as much as I did. Based on all of your feedback I have decided to continue writing this story as originally intended. Even if strays from canon (A special thanks to** **ScarletShad0w,** **Michiyo, & JazminSS for teaching me this word). I'll likely also write the other story I mentioned, but there is an enormous amount of character definition left to do for that. So… that'll be later. All of your comments and reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **どもありがとうございますみな、**

 **NewUserNamesAreHard**

 **So without further ado…**

* * *

Doctor Kei's office late Tuesday afternoon…

Kuon felt safe as he lay with his head in Kyoko's lap. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was trying to process everything that had just transpired, but it was hard to focus when all he really wanted to do was bask in that feeling of safety. _**This**_ _is_ _ **really**_ _nice._ He thought as he drifted off to sleep in Kyoko's tender care. He couldn't remember if he had ever felt like this before.

 _Love._ Doctor Kei finally found the word she was looking had eluded her at first. But that was the word. Love. That was the emotion that filled the room with warmth.

Working with Kuon was like riding a roller-coaster with a blindfold on; there were ups and downs, left turns and right turns, and then there were moments where it felt like whole world had been flipped upside down. The only thing that the doctor could say for certain was that the young man in front of her was damaged. _Definitely damaged. But maybe not broken beyond repair._

As Kuon's breathing slowed, Kyoko looked down at his sleeping figure for nearly 10 minutes before she realized someone was talking to her.

"Heel-san?" Doctor Kei repeated for the 10th time.

"Oh. Yes. I'm sorry about that." Kyoko finally responded. Her tone was absent as if she responded by reflex without any recognition of the speaker.

"Perhaps you would like to explain who you really are?" The doctor asked.

Kyoko physically shook off her daze and turned her head to look at the doctor. Heat surged up her face as she blushed in embarrassment. She started to bow in apology but stopped mid-movement as she felt Kuon stir in his sleep. "I'm very sorry." Kyoko answered quietly as Kuon buried his head in the crease of her hip. "I shouldn't have lied to you… I'm not actually related to him at all... My name is Mogami Kyoko and Tsuruga-san is my mentor."

"That would make you an actress then?" The doctor questioned. Her own voice had dropped in volume so not to disturb Kuon's sleep.

"Yes. Though, I haven't debuted yet. I have been very fortunate to get to act with Tsuruga-san. He is really amazing." The admiration the teen had for the man was clear even in her hushed voice.

"The Heel siblings are an act then?"

"Yes. Heel Cain and Heel Setsuka are our secret identities. None Tsuruga-san's current co-workers are supposed to know his real identity." Kyoko paused and looked compassionately back down at Kuon's sleeping face. "Although… I guess Tsuruga Ren isn't his real identity either."

Behind the doctor the orderlies where starting to stir. "Doctor?" One of them questioned while the other tried to rouse their unconscious companion.

Glancing over her shoulder Doctor Kei dismissed the men with a wave of her hand. "You can go now."

"Doctor?!" The orderly sputtered. "We aren't supposed to leave you alone with him. That is what everyone agreed on."

"I'm not alone." The doctor replied as she watched Kyoko brush a loose stand of hair from Kuon's face. "Ms. Heel is with me. And I doubt any of you are following the conversation now that it is being held in Japanese."

Kyoko looked back up. _When did we start speaking in Japanese?_ She couldn't remember. She had gotten so used to speaking in English for her role as Setsuka, that the words just flowed off of her tongue regardless of language. She was about to apologize to the orderlies when the third man woke back up. A high pitched whimper escaped his throat as he scrambled for the door. The orderly who had been helping him chased him into the hallway.

"Follow them." The doctor instructed the last orderly. He too disappeared out the door, glad to escape from the room. The latch of the door clicked into place before Doctor Kei addressed Kyoko once again. "Mogami-san. Do you realize what kind of position Kuon is in right now?"

"No." Kyoko admitted. "Nothing was explained to me when the administrative staff called. They just told me to come see Kuon."

"And did you not feel intimidated by Kuon when he admitted he would have actually killed Murasame?"

"Well…Yes. I felt scared. But that was because that wasn't Kuon. That was Black Jack." Kyoko flushed more every time she said Kuon's name. _No Kyoko. You can't get your hopes up._ She told herself. _You just happened to be around. He's not giving you special treatment._ But part of her just wouldn't believe it. He had told her his secret and asked her to use his real name. It had to mean something didn't it?

"Black Jack?" The doctor asked. _Another personality?_

Kyoko didn't respond at first. In her mind a small conference of spirits seemed to be deliberating. After reaching a decision she spoke. "Black Jack is a serial killer in the movie Tragic Marker. Black Jack is played by the actor Heel Cain. Heel Cain is an actor played by the actor Tsuruga Ren. And Tsuruga Ren is an actor played by Hizuri Kuon."

"So Black Jack scares you, but Kuon doesn't. Have you never seen him act as Black Jack off set before?"

"Once." Kyoko recalled. "I was pro… propos… propositioned by some street thugs the first night we were acting as the Heel siblings. Cain stood up for his little sister, but… they ganged up on him. At first I was afraid they were going to hurt him, but by the end I was afraid he was going to kill one of them. He stopped when I called out to him though."

Doctor Kei's sharp mind was back at work. _So she is the trigger… and the safety mechanism._ The doctor looked at the young woman in front of her with a certain amount of awe. The rest of them had been frozen solid by Kuon's ferocity, yet Kyoko had the strength to reach out to him. She had seen the broken young man hiding behind the mask of a monster.

"Kuon had an outburst earlier that scared most of the other patients." The doctor explained. "Black Jack showed up out of nowhere and caused quite the panic. No one was hurt, but my colleges and I were very concerned that he was dangerous. You know him better than we do though. What you think?"

Kyoko didn't even hesitate. "Of course Kuon is dangerous!"

The doctor blinked in surprise. That wasn't the response she was expecting. She had expected Kyoko to rave about how the actor couldn't possibly pose a danger to anyone. This was the exact opposite.

"No woman's heart is safe with the co-star killer on the loose. Do you know how easily he fools everyone with that gentlemen's smile of his? Charisma seems to ooze out of his every pore. And when he flashes a genuine smile it breaks people. I once saw a woman fall down a flight of stairs when she caught his smile out of the corner of her eye. Maintaining a pure maiden's heart is almost impossible with him around." Kyoko's voice seemed to keep getting louder and the doctor wondered when Kuon would be waking up.

"Lo…Lov…Love is the worst kind of evil in this world! I refuse to let it turn me back into a stupid useless woman ever again! And being around him just seems to make things worse." Kyoko's head drooped and her volume dropped again. Sniffle. "It's really hard to be around him because he makes me love him." Sniffle. "Even though I don't want to." Sniffle. "And it hurts." Sob. "Because I know he is in love with someone else." Sob.

As the first tear rolled off Kyoko's face the doctor felt her own heart breaking. _How could he possibly love anyone more than this woman?_ The doctor wondered. With everything the doctor had seen it just didn't seem possible. Kuon would move heaven and earth for Kyoko. There just couldn't be anyone else.

The second tear landed on Kuon's face and his eyes fluttered open. "Kyoko…?" He didn't wait for an answer as he sat up and pulled the amber eyed actress into his arms. He didn't know what had happened, but the need to comfort her overrode everything else. She started sobbing harder as he held her to his chest.

The next thing out of Kyoko's mouth was a barely comprehensible wail. "I'm Sorry Corn! I should have listened to your problems when we were little. You were in so much pain and I was SOOooOOoo selfish! I hope the other girl treats you better."

With that she was free of Kuon's grip and out the door before he even processed her words. "What other girl?" He asked the empty air left in Kyoko's wake. "The only girl I'm in love with is you. Why can't you just love me back?"

Doctor Kei looked at the actor with pity in her eyes. "Come on Kuon. I'll take you back to your room." She wasn't convinced that he actually harmless, but for now he was pacified. She would have to put some serious thought into what to do with the man. As for Kyoko, she wasn't normal by any standard, but saying so seemed more likely to cause problems than solve them.

* * *

An hour later…

Doctor Kei sat in her high backed chair staring at the far corner of her office. A decision needed to be made. What was she going to do with the Japanese actor? It was true that he had not acted violently towards anyone in the hospital, but the fact remained that he had adamantly declared that he was willing to kill someone.

 _Is this hospital even equipped to treat someone like Kuon?_ The doctor asked herself for the 6th time in as many minutes. Most patients needed to be kept away from the proverbial cliff, but Kuon was in a far more precarious position than that. He was walking on a tight rope suspended above an abyss. A gentle nudge to either the left or the right would send him tumbling to the depths below. To the left and he would drop into a pit of despair, letting it consume his whole being. To the right and he would burn the world to ground around him as he fell. And on the straight path before him was an amber eyed girl waiting for him at the platform.

 _The only safe course of action is to send him home with her._ The doctor decided. She jotted down a few more notes on the pages of Kuon's file and picked up the phone.

Kyoko answered on the first ring. "Doctor Kei?"

"Mogami-san. Are you feeling better?"

"Huh? Oh yes. I'm terribly sorry for running away. I just couldn't…" Kyoko's voice tapered off to nothing but the doctor understood.

"It's fine Mogami-san. But I need to talk to you about Kuon."

"But I'm not family. Can you talk to me about him?"

Doctor Kei paused. "Technically I cannot discuss his diagnosis with you. However, I can discuss with you the conditions for his release from the hospital."

"Conditions?" Kyoko asked nervously.

"Yes Mogami-san. I need to ensure that Kuon will receive the proper care after he leaves Guam. If it cannot be arranged, I cannot in good conscience allow him to leave the hospital. As it stands I will insist on going with him to work while he remains here in Guam."

"I understand." Kyoko replied. "Tell me what I need to arrange."

* * *

Later that night in Japan...

Doctor Yamada Mariko looked longingly at the bottle of wine in her refrigerator before reaching for a bottle of water instead. It had been another long day and she knew the next day would be just as bad. A glass of wine would help, but she was on call tonight. So instead of curling up with a glass of Chardonnay and a good book, she was headed to the couch to look through a stack of patient files.

On the end table her cell phone started to vibrate and sing a happily; the number displayed on the screen indicated it had been forwarded from the afterhours hotline. Mariko hesitated briefly before picking up the phone and answering her first emergency call since medical school. "This is Doctor Yamada." She said into the receiver as she cradled the smartphone in her hand. "How can I help you?"

"Doctor Yamada Mariko?" The voice on the other end inquired. He sounded awfully calm to be calling an emergency line and Mariko started to get the feeling her boss was messing with her. She was 28 days into a 90 day probationary period at work and so far she was getting the distinct feeling her boss didn't like having her around. It wasn't her fault really, but she seemed to attract a lot of unsolicited male attention. Sometimes being young and pretty wasn't advantageous.

"Yes. That's correct. How can I help you?" The doctor asked again.

"Ah. My name is Takarada Lory and I am actually calling on behalf of an employee of mine. He requires some assistance." The man explained cheerfully.

"Is he with you right now?"

"No I'm afraid he is not."

"Then I'm not sure how I can be of help to you Takarada-san. If you'd like to schedule an appointment, our office secretary would be happy to help you tomorrow. This line is reserved especially for emergencies."

"Ah. Yes. You see my employee is currently in a psychiatric hospital overseas. He is _supposed_ to be getting back to work tomorrow. However, his doctor has some concerns about letting him leave the hospital. As it was explained to me, I need to find him a psychiatrist who can monitor him both at work and at home."

Mariko sighed internally. The man on the other end of the line didn't seem to understand the concept of an emergency. "If he needs that much care he really should be staying in the hospital Takarada-san."

"Unfortunately, my employee is a publicly recognized figure. If he were to drop out of the public view for an extended period of time it could do a great deal of damage to both his reputation and my business." Lory explained.

After a brief pause he continued. "While I admire that he has made the decision to get help. I can't have him neglecting his work obligations. Your boss actually recommended I talk to you about this job. He seemed to think you were a good fit for this unique situation."

 _Unique situation?_ Mariko thought to herself before responding. "Did my boss explain why he would recommend me for this job?"

"My employee's current doctor seems to think he is showing some indications of a Dissociative Identity Disorder. It would seem that you have experience working with patients who have such disorders." Lory tried to end his explanation there but the doctor was waiting for the other shoe to drop. The silence stretched on uncomfortably until Lory finally continued. "Also… After some serious consideration, it has been concluded that to fool the public eye we need his therapist to appear to be his girlfriend."

"I see." Markio responded tersely. "I'll have to decline." Her displeasure with Lory was clear in her voice.

"Please understand my employee is a well-known actor. Any conclusion the tabloids might draw is likely to be many times worse than the reality of the situation."

"Do you know how much my time is worth Takarada-san?" The doctor asked with anger tinting her voice.

"Yes of course. Your boss informs me that your hourly rate is ¥ XXXX." He responded cheerfully as if she hadn't just growled at him.

"If you are aware of that, why are you wasting my time?"

"Should you choose to accept this offer I would double your hourly rate. And seeing as you would be living with my employee, you would be paid at the normal rate for 16 hours a day. You would also receive half of the hourly rate for the 8 hours you would be on call at night. And should he interfere with your sleep, you would of course receive double your normal rate until the situation was resolved."

Mariko stared into space for a moment. She didn't think she could be bought, but it was certainly a tempting offer. "I'm afraid I only work with people who really need help. You are welcome to throw your money at someone else." She answered while internally cursing her code of ethics. _My boss recommended me for this... It probably means I'm about to be fired. I should start looking for other work._

"Yamada-sensei. My employee _needs_ help. Please understand, I don't want you to actually date him. His heart is already spoken for. I am offering you this job because you can stand by his side without looking out of place. He has been fighting his demons alone for years now and he would likely continue to do so if given the choice. If his current doctor weren't threatening to keep him locked in the hospital, we would not be having this conversation."

Mariko recognized the implications of that last sentence. _Dangerous. They can only keep you locked up if you are dangerous._

"Yamada-sensei?" Lory's voice pulled the doctor's attention back to the phone in her hand.

"You want me to live with a man too dangerous to be let out of the hospital without supervision?" The doctor couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice. _This has to be a prank._

"I assure you, if I thought he was actually dangerous, I wouldn't be trying to get him out of the hospital. I believe that his condition is being exacerbated by filming overseas. In fact I imagine anyone would be taxed to their limit given his circumstances. By the time he returns to Japan however, many of his stressors will be gone."

"Absolutely not." Mariko spat back at the phone in irritation. "You are not a trained therapist. Just because you haven't seen the signs doesn't mean he isn't dangerous." _If the boss wants me gone this badly I'm going to make him admit it outright!_

"His current doctor doesn't seem to think he is dangerous either. It's her colleagues that disagree, but they have not been working with him. Apparently there was some kind of incident. No one was injured but my employee can be… quite intense when he is angry."

"The answer is still no." She shot back stubbornly. She was quickly losing her composure. _I really needed that glass of wine._

"Please take a few moments to consider. This opportunity can only be good for your career. If you wanted it to, your position at your current office would be become permanent after this assignment. Alternatively, successful completion of this task would also afford you the choice to become the in-house psychiatrist for my talent agency."

Mariko paused before yelling at the man and accusing him of being crazy himself. _I would still have my have my current job to fall back on? So I'm not being fired? But being an in-house therapist… Could he be serious?_ After several false starts she finally managed to respond to Lory. "I can't imagine that a talent agency would have much of a need for an in-house psychiatrist."

"I directly employ 631 people and have a roster of nearly 800 talents. I imagine at least of few of them would be interested in your services."

"Who would the patient be?" Mariko asked with her interest peaked.

"I'd be happy to tell you after you sign some confidentiality paperwork."

"I refuse to date Bou the chicken." The doctor announced halfheartedly before giving into Lory's persuasion. Five minutes later she was headed out the door to meet Lory at his office.

* * *

Around that same time in Cain's hotel room…

Kyoko once again found herself staring at the bed and wondering about clean clothes for Cain. The doctor had said that they had washed the clothes he had been admitted in, but... Kyoko desperately needed something to think about. Since she had gotten back from the hospital she had moved from one thing to the next trying to keep her mind busy.

Calling Lory had finally pushed her over the edge. She felt like her whole world was crashing down around her. She wasn't sure what was worse: being thrown away by the man you loved or watching him fall to pieces in front of your eyes. She had experienced both and they both left her in agony.

Kyoko remade the bed, reorganized the closet and drawers, and even rechecked the homework she had hidden in the bottom of Setsuka's suitcase. It wouldn't do to fall even further behind in her education. She was about to repeat the process again when a knock disrupted her train of thought.

"Setsuka-san?" Murasame's voice filtered through the door. "Director Konoe wanted me to drop off a description of the scene you are in."

 _That's right. I have to get ready for Setsuka's scene with Cain tomorrow._ Kyoko wrapped Setsuka's soul around her again and opened the door. This time she at least had Cain's coat on.

Murasame handed her a small stack of papers while trying to keep his eyes on her face. Setsuka's own eyes scanned the top page with a level of interest Murasame had never seen her show before. "Do you want any help figuring out the scene?" He asked her as she flipped to the next page.

"No." She said in her normal disinterested voice and shut the door in Murasame's face. Then she set about her new task of figuring out how to die convincingly.

* * *

Meanwhile in room 205…

Kuon shifted uncomfortably while his roommates huddled together on the bed opposite his and watched him intently. Doctor Kei had convinced them that he wasn't dangerous, but he had certainly ruined the safe and friendly atmosphere. It seemed that none of them would be sleeping tonight.

According to the doctor, he would be released from the hospital tomorrow morning and would be headed off to set to finish filming Tragic Marker. Kuon wasn't quite sure how that had happened. Earlier in the afternoon he was sure he would be getting his own padded white room. The fact that it wasn't going to happen somehow had to be Kyoko's doing.

He lay down on the bed from his seated position and thanked the universe for putting her in his path. As he remembered her loving smile he changed his mind. Maybe he would be able to sleep tonight.

* * *

Back in Japan…

Mariko walked up to the LME office at nearly 9 at night expecting to find the lights dim and the hallways empty. What she wasn't expecting to find was an 9 story building bustling with people. The hour was late, but the lights were on and the lobby had attendants. Nearly a dozen people walked past her in the halls as she followed the attendants' directions to the president's office.

After an elevator ride, she took a short walk down another hallway. Raising her hand to knock she looked on in surprise as the double doors swung open on their own. Her knuckles hadn't even had a chance to connect with the wood. She was clearly expected and it was making her nervous all over again. _What did I agree to?_

A man in a butler's uniform ushered Mariko into the lavish office. He directed her to a small seating area where 3 men sat waiting for her. Two of the men were dressed professionally in suits while the third seemed to be dressed as an 18th century English nobleman, complete with a curly wig and sash.

"Ah. Welcome Doctor Yamada." The third man said. "Please take a seat."

Mariko was seated before she placed the voice. "Takarada-san?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes. A pleasure to meet you in person madam." He replied with a flourish. "Allow me to introduce the head of my legal department, Tozaki Kaito, and one of my talent managers, Yashiro Yukihito."

"A pleasure to meet you all." She replied.

The doctor had been expecting a standard non-disclosure contract, but the legal department head seemed to have other plans. He pulled a thick packet of papers from his briefcase and laid it out before her. "Shall we go over the confidentiality agreement?" He asked.

As Kaito walked her through the contract clauses Mariko became more hesitant. Nowhere in the contract was the name of the actor mentioned. "I need to know who I will be working with." She insisted.

The president declined, telling her to wait until the lawyer finished going over the 12 page document. As the lawyer neared end of the contract the doctor didn't even care who the talent was supposed to be. With the level of secrecy and deception involved she didn't want anything to do with this job anymore.

Then the lawyer explained the final clause of the contract. Mariko froze as she considered the implications. The last clause stated that she would be told the name of client at the time she signed the document. And if she deemed at that time, that she could not work with the talent, she would be allowed 8 hours to find a suitable replacement doctor so long as the talent's identity was protected.

Eight hours seemed like an odd time frame. It meant she would need to have an alternate in place by 6am. Still it wasn't like she couldn't get a hold of her colleagues and college friends at this hour if she needed to. She signed the document and the head of the legal department excused himself.

"Well?" She asked the men that remained in the room. They exchanged glances.

"Kyoko-chan will understand won't she?" Yashiro asked.

"I don't know if either of them will understand." Lory answered. "But its the best we can do for them."

Lory turned back to the doctor. He tried to put her at ease, but he didn't seem pleased with the situation. "Congratulations." He said with a half-smile. "You are officially dating Tsuruga Ren."

The doctor's mouth fell open as Yashiro reintroduced himself as Ren's manager and set about explaining his work obligations. Mariko barely heard a word of it. _Tsuruga Ren, the top actor in Japan?_

"So what do you say doctor? Should we start getting the press release together?" Lory asked the dumbstruck doctor.

"Press release?"

"Of course my dear." Lory replied matter-of-factly. "It's important we get ahead of the paparazzi in announcing that Ren has a live in girlfriend."

* * *

 **A/N: I need to clear something up. This is a KyokoXRen story, but adversity is the spice of life. Stick with me folks.**

 **P.S. My husband would like to retire from his job as my proof reader if anyone else is interested. (I'd call him a beta reader, but he has never read Skip Beat and only looks at the sections of text that I think don't read quite right. As the author, sometimes my brain fills in what should be on the page and I miss the actual text. So I'm going back through the previously posted chapters to try to clean up some residual oddities.)**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	9. Chapter 9: Until The Very Last Scene

**The Story so far: After an excruciatingly long second day in the psychiatric hospital, arrangements have been made and Kuon is about to be released. There is only one thing left to do. Finish filming Tragic Marker.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

 **Side note: This is an arguably an M rated Chapter. I don't have kids but if I did… My 16 year old could read this but my 13 year old would be grounded.**

* * *

Doctor Kei's office at 8am Wednesday morning…

The phone was ringing as Doctor Kei walked into her office. _At least Kuon's new doctor is timely._ She thought to herself as she picked up the receiver. "Hello. This is Doctor Kei." She said into the phone.

There was a pause before Mariko answered in broken English. "Goudo moriningu. Doctor Yamada is."

Doctor Kei switched to Japanese. "I assume you are calling about Kuon. You are going to be taking over as his primary doctor correct?"

Relief was evident in Mariko's voice; she had spent a lot of time studying medicine and very little studying English. "Yes. I will be overseeing his treatment when he returns to Japan. I was told you needed to speak to me directly before you release him today."

With pleasantries out of the way the two doctors went to task, discussing the plans for Kuon's continued care. Doctor Kei was none too pleased to hear about the conditions of Mariko's contract. She ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "You do not understand Doctor Yamada." She repeated for the third time. "This is a terrible idea."

"I'm not too happy about living with some potentially dangerous either." Mariko replied. "Still it seems this was the only arrangement that could be made."

Doctor Kei caught herself before she repeated the same failed argument again. "As long as you make sure he still gets to see Mogami-san." She said with a resigned sigh.

The phone started flashing as a second call came in. "And it seems she is here to get him." Doctor Kei murmured into the receiver. She checked her watch before taking the second call. Exactly 10am. "I have to go Doctor Yamada. But please take my words to heart. It would be a mistake to get between them."

* * *

Cain's hotel room, 9am…

Kyoko once again woke to the raucous sound of rock music. This morning however, she had a purpose. Today was the day that she was getting Kuon out of the hospital. _No. Wait._ She corrected herself. _Today is the day Setsuka gets Cain out of the hospital._

Fifteen minutes later, an impatient Setsuka strode out of hotel room. She was dressed to kill. Or more accurately, Cain was going to kill any man that looked at her in that outfit. Black leather shorts rode low on her hips and stretched just far enough to cover her underwear. Her top was composed entirely of crisscrossing scraps of fabric that clung tightly to her chest. The shirt, as she was generously calling the item, stopped just below her sternum, leaving her flat stomach exposed. Knee high boots highlighted her shapely legs, the 5 inch heel forcing a little bit of extra sway into her walk. She completed the look with Cain's trench coat.

Murasame nearly choked on his food when her walked into the dining room. _That is not how you dress for a reunion with your brother!_ He screamed in his head. The memory of holding Setsuka flashed through his mind a moment before a sense of impending doom overwhelmed him. _If Cain ever finds out about that he'll make a special trip back from England just to murder me…_

Setsuka didn't even glance in Murasame's direction. Instead she walked up to the buffet table and plucked an apple from a pile of assorted fruits. She bit into it as she walked away, licking the slightly tart juice off of her lips. She sauntered up to Director Konoe's table and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He leaned back to look at her. "Ah. Just a moment Setsuka-san."

Setsuka wasn't in the mood to wait. The director froze momentarily as she dropped sensually into his lap. Her left arm wrapped around his shoulders as she draped her right leg across her left knee. She looked at him with challenge in her grey eyes. "What could possibly be more important that getting my brother out of the hospital?" She questioned as she drew her finger across the bottom of his jaw.

The director swallowed. "Kyo-" He started before she pressed her finger to his lips. The crew members sitting across from the pair watched apprehensively as the director paled. Cain was supposed to be the scary one, but it looked like his sister had some talons of her own.

"What could possibly be more important that getting my brother out of the hospital?" She repeated.

To his credit Director Konoe didn't stutter. "These two will be overseeing the setup of the set while I am helping you with your brother. I imagine Cain-san wants to wrap up filming and go home as soon as possible. So I need to make sure all of their questions are answered before we leave."

"I see." Setsuka said lazily, her challenging eyes turning to face the men sitting opposite the director. "Since it's for my brother… What questions do you have?"

"No-none." The first man stammered.

"Are you sure?" She purred back. Both men nodded. "Then I suppose we can get going can't we director?"

* * *

Twenty seven minutes later in the parking lot of the psychiatric hospital…

The woman that sat in the passenger seat of the director's rental car was not the same woman he had picked up from the airport. Setsuka was back with a vengeance. And Director Konoe once again found himself wondering how sweet little Kyoko turned into the unrelenting temptress. She tapped her acrylic nails impatiently on the dashboard of the car as she stared at the director's watch.

The doctor had said that Kyoko could pick Kuon up at 10am. It was currently 9:58am and she was fighting the strong urge to sprint from the car and bang on the front door until someone finally let her in.

9:59:00 am

9:59:30 am

9:59:45 am

9:59:55 am

Time seemed to stop as the last 5 seconds ticked by.

10:00:00 am

Setsuka looked calm as she glanced up toward the director and opened the car door. With predatory grace she unfolded herself from the seat and started to walk towards the door. The sound of her high heels echoed as she made her way to the front desk. The director followed a step behind her.

"Do you have an appointment?" The front desk attendant asked. She was different from the attendant Kyoko had dealt with yesterday.

"We're here for Kuon." Setsuka answered. "Doctor Kei should be expecting us."

The woman blinked and looked past Setsuka as if seeking agreement from Director Konoe. "I'm just the driver." He explained.

She picked up the phone and entered a few digits before lifting it to her ear. "Doctor Kei… There is someone here for Kuon..." The woman's face drained of color as she listened to the doctor's response. She hung up the phone and dialed a new number. "I need a visitor escorted to room 205."

* * *

A few minutes earlier in room 205…

Kuon felt surprisingly well rested. His roommates had kept him up until nearly 5am as they whispered back and forth, but they seemed to have decided to sleep in shifts. Ryu was the only one awake when Kuon sat up in his bed. The slightly older man sat on the floor leaning against the bed where Kenji and Yoshi rested. He eyed Kuon warily, but made no move to wake the others.

"Good morning Ryu." Kuon greeted him.

Ryu just stared back at him with an unforgiving expression. Neither man looked away as the silence stretched on. A hesitant knock came from the door and Kuon broke the eye contact. "Who is it?" Ryu asked without moving his gaze from Kuon.

"Doctor Kei asked us to escort Ms. Heel to your room." A male voice answered through the door. "The doctor will be right up."

Ryu's expression hardened. "She isn't welcome here."

"Now Ryu. Don't be that way." Doctor Kei's voice scolded. Her breathing was labored as if she had just run up the stairs.

"You didn't have to run." A disinterested voice suggested.

Ryu sat up a little straighter as Kuon shifted. Murmurs could be heard from outside the room, but it was impossible to tell what all had been said. "We're coming in." The doctor announced a moment before the door swung into the room.

Ryu's eyes flickered to Setsuka involuntarily and he found himself entranced by the teen. He staggered awkwardly to his feet, rousing the two men sleeping behind him. They groggily propped themselves up to access the situation.

Kuon watched her every move. "Setsuka-san. I'm surprised to see you here." He expressed as she strode into the room.

She looked at Kuon as if he were a lower life form. "I came to pick up my brother." She replied.

Kuon looked to Doctor Kei. _**Is**_ _this_ _ **Ok?**_ He wondered.

She inclined her head slightly. "I will be accompanying you to your job today. And I would rather see who I will be observing in this environment first. I explained this to Mogami-san when I spoke with her yesterday evening."

The change in Kuon was so rapid the doctor almost missed it; the shifts in his posture were barely perceptible. The real change in the room was the feeling in the air. Doctor Kei could have sworn the temperature of the room dropped 10 degrees.*

Cain's voice husky voice was a striking contrast to Kuon's. "Setsu." He rumbled. "I thought I threw that outfit away."

"You threatened to, but… you let me keep it when I promised to only wear it for you." Setsuka responded with a smirk spreading across her face. "And make no mistake brother, I'm wearing it for you."

Kuon silently cursed himself for being so easily swayed by the woman. She had batted her sultry eyes at him with a pout on her lips and he had caved entirely. Of course, he had been counting on Kyoko's modesty to keep Setsuka in check. Part of him had forgotten that Kyoko tended to totally lose herself in her characters.

"Keeping other men away from you is becoming a full time job." Cain answered.

A pleased grin appeared on Setsuka's face. "It keeps you from spending time with other women." She looked him over as she perched on the edge of the bed. "You look terrible in white."

"Then I suppose I should change." He replied as he rose to his feet and started to stalk towards the bathroom. He grabbed his black jeans and Murasame's shirt from the small chest at the end of the bed before continuing forward.

Doctor Kei was certain that Kuon hadn't gotten any taller in the last few minutes, but it felt like he had as he lumbered across the room. She was suddenly aware of just how small she really was. Kyoko was even smaller in stature than the doctor, but she somehow managed not to look frail as Cain loomed over her. Instead she looked certain, as if she belonged next to the giant.

"Don't forget your eyes." Setsuka said as she held out her purse to Cain. Kyoko handed over the president's gift. She hadn't remembered to ask, but she was fairly certain that the little box stuffed in Setsuka's purse contained color contacts. It wouldn't make sense for them to be anything else. _It really is a shame to have to hide his beautiful eyes._ She thought as she looked into the gem like orbs.

Cain took the offered purse without a word, his fingers brushing Setsuka's as he lifted it from her grasp. _**Careful**_ _Kuon._ He reminded himself.

As he walked towards the bathroom his roommates caught his attention. They scuttled across the bed in an attempt to stay further away from him. "Setsu." He addressed his sister as he stopped in the doorway to the bathroom. "I hear that Ryu is a big fan of Dark Moon."

"So?" The teen asked like it didn't really concern her.

"I think he has a crush on Mio." Cain answered while Ryu looked back and forth between the two in confusion. Cain started forward again, closing the door a little harder than necessary.

Ryu turned back towards Setsuka and felt his jaw go slack. She looked at him with sparkling eyes, her excitement barely contained. "You liked Mio?!" Kyoko squealed happily as she broke character. "You didn't just think she was scary? You actually liked her?"

"You liked her too?" Ryu asked timidly. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the change in the young woman. She came to see Kuon which made him hesitant, but… she was really pretty. Behind him Kenji and Yoshi fidgeted as Kyoko's happy aura swirled around them.

"Not at first… When I found out that Mio was supposed to be mean, I was devastated." Kyoko admitted as she tapped her index fingers together in a nervous gesture. "I'm really happy with how she turned out in the end though. I'm really glad that Tsuruga-san was there to help me develop my character." The brilliant smile on her face looked out of place paired with Setsuka's skimpy clothing and heavy gothic makeup.

Ryu looked at her without comprehending what she was talking about. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but found he had nothing to say. Doctor Kei spoke up instead. She had heard Ryu talk about his celebrity crush several times in the past. "Mogami-san. Did you play Mio in the Dark Moon TV show?" She inquired.

"Yes." Kyoko chirped excitedly.

Ryu's expression transitioned from skeptical to mortified. "I… I… I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you."

"No one recognizes her." Cain growled as he emerged from the bathroom. "Ready to go Setsu?"

Kyoko froze in place and glanced guiltily at Cain. _I was not supposed to break character was I?_ _That's an NG._ She admonished herself.

Kuon on the other hand, was thrilled to see the love of his life in all her vibrant glory. Setsuka was beautiful, but she didn't hold a candle to Kyoko. He was glad to have gotten to see the real her for a brief moment. The rest of the day would belong to Setsuka.

* * *

The set of Tragic Marker just before noon…

Director Konoe glanced over his shoulder at the Heel siblings as he walked ahead to set. He wasn't sure what he should have been expecting from them, but somehow it didn't seem right that they were acting so normal. Well, normal for Cain and Setsuka.

The topic of discussion the director heard as he approached the other actors wasn't unexpected... but it probably wasn't a good thing either. Who was Heel Cain? Where did he come from? It seemed that several of the crew members had been trying to dig into the actors past.

"Whatever." Murasame spat in exasperation. "It doesn't matter where he came from as long as we never have to see him again after this."

A deep masculine chuckle came from the behind the director as he stepped into the circle of actors. The laugh was joyous, but it made Director Konoe's blood run cold. Cain was happily laughing at Murasame's comment as he came into view; his arm was wrapped protectively around his sister. Setsuka looked up at him with a mix of lust and elation. "What is so funny brother?" She asked in English.

A wicked smile split Cain's face as his eyes locked on Murasame. Then in perfect Japanese he answered the question. "But you will be seeing me again Murasmae. Very, very soon."

Beside him Setsuka pouted. "Brother…" She whined in Japanese. "I don't get to go with you for that project do I?"

Murasame stiffed. Cain had been talking about a movie that Tsuruga Ren was supposed to be acting in, but Murasame didn't know that. What he did know, was that anytime Setsuka was out of eyeshot of Cain, the actor became murderous. Steeling himself, Murasame tried to meet Cain's gaze. _Something is off._ He thought to himself before the following words left his mouth. "Are you wearing my shirt?"

Cain's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. So?"

"Take it off." Murasame growled. "I'm going to have to burn that shirt when I get home."

"Why should I?" Cain taunted.

"Because it looks terrible on you." Setsuka supplied and Murasame's words died on his tongue.

"Worse than the white one?" Cain asked his sister. He had totally dismissed Murasame as soon as she had spoken.

"When I thought you were trying a new look it didn't seem too bad. But finding out its Murasame's… You should burn it for him and put the poor thing out of its misery."

Cain released his hold on Setsuka and took a small step away from her. A small sigh of protest left her lips in response. "Patience little sister." He chided as he crossed his arms in front of him and grabbed the sides of the shirt. He watched her face as he started to pull the shirt straight up over his head, his arm muscles flexing enticingly as he bared his toned abdomen. Setsuka looked at him like she wanted to eat him and beneath Cain's mask Kuon felt several very carnal urges stir. _**Is**_ _it_ _ **just**_ _Setsuka_ _ **or**_ _do_ _ **you**_ _like_ _ **what**_ _you_ _ **see**_ _too_ _ **Kyoko?**_ He wondered.

The thought was quickly interrupted by a glass shattering squeal. Manaka had managed to cross the open ground between them in less time than it had taken Cain to take off his shirt. Her hand shot out as if to pet him. Cain had just enough time to wonder what he should do before she crumpled to the ground in pain.

"I hate to agree with the rodent," Setsuka told her brother, "but you do look much better this way." She ran her hand up his chest possessively as she stepped into his body.

Kuon reveled in the sensation even as he tried to figure out what had happened to Manaka. Never mind. He couldn't be bothered to care about Manaka with Kyoko's hands running over his skin.

"Do you want you trench coat back?" Setsuka asked as her hand slid further up his chest.

Kuon's heart pounded and he almost accepted the coat. As much as he wanted to see her in nothing but the too tight outfit underneath, he wasn't willing to share even a glimpse with the other men on set. _**Later.**_ He told himself.

"Setsuka..." Manaka finally managed to gasp.

Setsuka turned to face the fallen woman. Her hand trailed across Cain skin as she moved and a shaky breath left his lips involuntarily. "Did I give you permission to touch my brother?" She asked in a biting tone. As she spoke she pressed her back against Cain and pulled his arms around her. "I don't remember doing that." Behind her Cain smiled down at his sister, his right index finger tracing imaginary lines on her exposed midriff.

Inside Setsuka's shell Kyoko was melting. She was acting like Setsuka, but it didn't keep her from being embarrassed. She was embarrassed by the fact that she was the one who wanted him to take his shirt off. Embarrassed by way the sight of his bare chest made her pulse speed. She was embarrassed that she had reached for him without thinking. Embarrassed by the way she touched him. Embarrassed by the way he was touching her. And entirely too embarrassed by the fact that she loved the sensation.

"You elbowed me in the throat." Manaka said hoarsely.

"Yes." Setsuka purred back. "You really should be more careful. It's very important for an actor to protect his body and voice. What if my brother had strained his voice yelling at you to get off of him?"

"He doesn't have any lines." Murasame barked at her as she stooped down to help Manaka to her feet.

"Did you just say something to my sister, Scum?" Cain growled in response before Director Konoe stepped between the 4 actors.

The director's voice shook as he broke up the fight before it could come to blows. "You can get in a fist fight after we finish filming. There are only 3 scenes left… So Cain-san why don't you and Setsuka head over to get your make up done."

Cain almost complied without protest, but there was something Kuon really needed to get off of his chest. "Murasame." Cain's voice was dripping with murderous intent as he spoke over his shoulder. "I saw the picture." A pregnant pause filled the air. "It better not happen again."

Murasame watched Cain go with a single thought in his mind. _What picture?_

* * *

Forty five minutes later…

The sound of BJ's heavy boots hitting the ground made Murasame jump as Cain and Setsuka returned from makeup and wardrobe. After they had left, Murasame had spent the next half an hour trying to figure out what picture Cain was talking about. The remaining 15 minutes and been spent trying to not hyperventilate and pass out. He wasn't sure how much time he had left above ground. Not only had Cain found out that Murasame had touched Setsuka, but there was photographic evidence and it had been aired on a national TV. Murasame was a dead man walking.

"Alright everyone." Director Konoe called. "We are going to film the two finale scenes. First, Murasame-san is going to lay BJ back to rest. After that we will film the scene where BJ kills off the protagonist. Then there is one last minor scene where BJ kills a straggling extra."

Cain was back to pretending he didn't speak Japanese. He cocked his head to the side in question to the director. It made sense that they needed to shoot the alternate endings but why was the director adding another close up death. He hadn't even seen the script for it yet.

"I'm super excited to see how you kill me." Setsuka whispered in his ear.

"W-H-A-T?!" Cain roared before he turned on the director, his angry eyes pinning the smaller man in place. "You want me to let BJ kill my sister?!" On the surface Cain was furious. On the inside Kuon was conflicted. It made perfect sense for Setsuka to want to act in the movie with her brother. Setsuka wasn't an actress herself, but there was no way Kyoko would refuse a role that had been offered to her. However, Cain couldn't hurt his little sister. And Kuon would rather swallow broken glass than do anything that might hurt Kyoko. _**No.**_ _Its_ _ **Ok**_ _Kuon._ _ **If**_ _Kyoko_ _ **didn't**_ _want_ _ **to**_ _do_ _ **this**_ _she_ _ **wouldn't**_ _have_ _ **agreed**_ _to_ _ **it.**_ _I'm_ _ **professional**_ _enough_ _ **to**_ _do_ _ **this.**_ He reassured himself.

"But I want to…" Setsuka whined before the director had recovered enough to speak. "Pretty please?"

Cain looked back at her. He wanted to argue, but he knew the look on Setsuka's face. He wasn't going to win this argument. He held his hand out to her expectantly and she dropped a rolled up of stack of papers into his grasp. "Fine." He conceded in a raspy voice. "Go get ready. Murasame and I should be done killing each other soon."

Setsuka licked her upper lip suggestively. "I promise it will be worthwhile." She said before turning back towards the wardrobe trailer.

Cain shifted his weighty gaze to Murasame. "I guess we shouldn't waste any more time then."

Standing near the outskirts of the group Doctor Kei watched the exchange with fascination. From what Kuon had told her about Cain's character she had expected him to be meaner, more violent, or at least less controlled. To someone who hadn't seen beneath the mask she imagined that Cain was terrifying, but compared to what she had seen before, Cain was about as threatening as a grey cloud. No one really wanted to get rained on, but ones chances of dying from a lightning strike were slim to none.

That was just how the doctor felt… Until Setsuka walked out of sight and BJ took up his position in front of the camera.

* * *

The first scene begins…

Murasame faced off against Cain in much the same way he had 3 days prior. Again both men moved simultaneously. Murasame like a trained fighter and BJ like a deadly puppet. The choreography was much the same as the other ending but half way through the fight Murasame's character was supposed to get in a lucky shot that would fatally wound BJ.

BJ moved to the left, his hand dipping into the folds of his clothes to pulls out a bloody knife. Hints of silver flashed in the sunlight as BJ brandished the weapon.

His torso collapsed forward as if all the muscles in his back had given out and Murasame's foot swept through the air just above his head. Murasame backpedaled as his foot came back to the ground. BJ was already moving in on him again. He grunted as BJ's foot slammed into his torso. The kick was harder than it needed to be, but it wasn't anything compared to the full force kick he had taken on the shoulder a few day ago. BJ was holding back. The camera wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but something about it pissed Murasame off. He threw a punch at BJ's face only to see the serial killer block it with his forearm. Still the stinging in his hand filled him with satisfaction.

BJ's eyes narrowed at the impact of Murasame's punch. _**He**_ _is_ _ **taking**_ _this_ _ **too**_ _seriously_ _ **isn't**_ _he_ BJ spun to the left, his loose robe billowing around him. This time Murasame didn't slip and BJ's foot cut through the space his chest had occupied just a moment earlier.

The next move was Murasame's. Pulling a knife from his boot he charged BJ. He felt the knife sink into BJ's torso as the serial killer wrapped his hands around Murasame's throat. For a brief moment Murasame panicked. _This is it. He's going to kill me._

It was only after BJ threw Murasame away from him that the protagonist realized they were still following the script. Murasame moved to kick at BJ again. His knife had sunk in but not far enough. Unless it reached BJ's heart the monster would keep on moving. He missed and BJ's own knife slip across his collar bone, pulling a cry of pain from his lips. The knives weren't real, but the reactions were.

Murasame staggered and fell into BJ, using gravity and his own body weight as a weapon. He rolled across BJ's chest to lean on the knife sticking out from between BJ's ribs. The undead killer stopped moving. For a second, Murasame thought he had passed out again. He was woken from his stupor when BJ's knife clattered to the ground. He glanced behind him to see that BJ had almost managed to stab him in the back of the neck. Relief followed over Murasame's face as he looked back down at the fallen monster. "Rest in pieces." He said as he crawled off of the body. He put pressure on his injured collar bone as he lurched away. "And don't ever come back."

The cameras focused on BJ's face as Murasame hobbled out of view. In his head Kuon counted to 50 after Murasame said his last line. Then the corners of BJ's mouth twisted up ever so slightly and cloudy eyes stared straight into the camera. "Next time." He breathed.

"Cut!" Director Konoe yelled. "That was flawless you two! I need to check the tape but I think we can move on to the next scene. Both of you go get your makeup checked."

* * *

The second scene begins…

The beginning of the fight was exactly the same, but Murasame wouldn't be getting in a lucky shot this time around. This time, BJ caught Murasame's wrist as he charged. In a matter of seconds BJ flipped Murasame upside down and planted his knee in the small of the hero's back. BJ pinned him to the ground, Murasame's knife lost in the fight as his arm was forced painfully behind his back.

With his free hand Murasame reached out for anything he could find to try to throw at BJ. He squirmed beneath the larger man using every ounce of his real strength to try to break free. It was a terrifying moment when the reality sunk in; if this were a real fight he would be dead already. BJ's knife entered Murasame's field of view and he saw his own petrified expression reflected back at him on the clean sections of the blade. "No!" He screamed.

BJ didn't pause in his actions. He just kept drawing the blade closer to Murasame's throat. "No!" Murasame screamed again as the tip of the blade sunk into his flesh. A malicious smile slid into place on BJ's face as he watched imagined blood flow from Murasame's jugular vein. The expression wasn't overt, but it was there. "To bad hero." BJ spoke his only voiced line in the movie as the last breath squeezed out of Murasame's compressed chest.

"Cut!" The director looked beyond pleased as he called out to end the scene. "This looks like it's also going to be done in a single take too. I'll still have to check the tape, but I think it's safe to say you are done Murasame-san. And Cain all that's left is to kill Setsuka!" Director Konoe regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

If looks could kill, the director would have been dead as a door nail. Cain glowered at him with a level of hatred he usually reserved for acting as BJ. Director Konoe was beginning to regret his decision to include Kyoko in the movie. But call it director's intuition or whatever you like, despite Cain's reaction, Konoe was certain the scene with Setsuka would make an impact on the movie. After the idea had hit him he could no longer picture the movie without it. There was just something about Kyoko…

* * *

Early afternoon in Ren's apartment back in Japan…

Yashiro entered Ren's apartment ahead of Mariko. He was currently in the middle of his fifth phone call since he had picked her up from her apartment on the other side of town. What struck her as odd was the fact that he answered a different phone this time. She had been trying not to eavesdrop, but the little pink flip phone just seemed to ring constantly. The monochrome grey phone on the other hand, seemed to have materialized just for this call.

"You would like to push back the commercial shoot another two weeks?" From Yashiro's tone it wasn't the first delay for this particular project. "May I ask what the delay is? Ren's schedule is about to become far less flexible."

Mariko couldn't hear the response on the other end of the phone, but a mischievous smile flitted across Yashiro's face before he could contain it. "I see. So you are considering rewriting the commercial to promote both brands after your business merger? I think that is wonderful idea."

Another long pause ensued as Yashiro listened to what the person on the other end of the line had to say. "Actually, I've been standing in as Kyoko-chan's manager while Tsuruga-san is out of the country for another project. I'm certain that she'll accept the contract. She and Tsuruga-san are actually very close. She considers him to be her mentor and certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to act with him."

A sound of relief slipped from the phone. The person on the other end of the line had obviously been worried. "No. No. Tsuruga-san wouldn't have canceled the contract just because you brought in another actress. He is far more professional than that. If you have concerns like this in the future please just be honest with me."

After that they exchanged goodbyes and Yashiro slipped the phone back into his pocket. "I'm sorry about that, Yamada-sensei."

"Please just call me Mariko." She insisted. "If I am supposed to be dating Ren it would be odd if you called me that wouldn't it?"

"I suppose it would." Yashiro answered as his mood seemed to sink. He waved away whatever thought had upset him and ushered Mariko into the apartment. "Anyhow. Welcome home. Take a look around. I'll go and get your things from the car." With that he turned to leave, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Mariko stepped out of her shoes and padded into the main living area. _Barron._ She thought as she looked over the open space. The kitchen to her left was large, but the only items on counter were a coffee maker and a stack of filters. To the right of the sink a dish drying rack sat vacant; the dishes hidden somewhere in the copious cabinetry. She didn't bother to look in the refrigerator. Ren had been out of the country for 2 weeks. It was either empty or needed to be cleaned out. She would was betting on empty.

Turning to the right she inspected the living room. She hadn't really expected the actor have much in his kitchen. She imagined he didn't have much time to cook. The living room however, was depressing. A modern black couch, a simple coffee table, and a TV were the only things in the room. No pictures of friends or family. No knickknacks collected over the years. No creature comforts. _This isn't a home._ Mariko thought to herself.

The feeling only grew stronger as she walked down the short hallway towards the bedrooms. There weren't even any pictures of Ren in the apartment. She was beginning to wonder if anyone actually lived there when she opened the door to Ren's bedroom. Clothes were in the closet and there were toiletries in the attached bathroom, but this room felt as empty as the last. The rumpled blankets were the only indication that she wasn't just standing in a staged apartment. _This isn't a home._ She thought again as she opened the nightstand next to the bed. She paused as she looked into the drawer; it held a broken wrist watch, a pair of sunglasses, and a set of car keys.

"So much for my plan to get to know a little about him before he comes back." She said aloud as she leaned back on the bed. Hitting an unexpected lump she fished it out from underneath the blankets. Holding it up to eye level she stared at it in confusion.

That was how Yashiro found her when he walked in with her suitcases. "Mariko-san?" He asked.

"What is this?" She asked him holding up the item in question.

"That is Ren's travel pillow. He normally takes it with him everywhere."

That was surprising information. "He takes it with him everywhere? Did he pick it out himself?" The adorable sheep pillow in her hands didn't match the picture she had in her head. Ren's travel pillow should be like everything else in his home, lifeless, but the pillow in her hands was worn from use.

"He couldn't take it with him for his current assignment but I've seen him pull it out of the trunk of his car several times. He says he sleeps better with a pillow. This pillow does seem to be particularly important to him though. Kyoko-chan gave it to him for his birthday." Another smile flitted across Yashiro's face as he spoke.

"Not Mogami-san?" Mariko asked, remembering her earlier conversation with Doctor Kei.

"I suppose Ren does still call her that." Yashiro answered uncertainly. He didn't quite understand the doctor's question.

That gave Mariko enough insight to piece together several bits of information she had heard over the last 12 hours. "Is Mogami-san Tsuruga-san's real girlfriend?"

* * *

Back on the set of Tragic Marker…

Cain turned from the director and moved towards the makeup area. Doctor Kei likened it to watching a tiger prowling through the jungle. Men and women alike fled from his path; every inch of the man seemed to exude dormant violent potential. The tiger's only saving grace was that it didn't hunt for sport. Director Konoe was a prime target, but with the promise of seeing Kyoko again, Kuon didn't seem think he needed to finish the man off.

Cain's pace was unhurried as he moved across the set, but his mood got worse with every step he took. _**Where**_ _is_ _ **she?!**_ He had yet to lay eyes on Setsuka. It worried him. As he sat in the makeup chair he flipped through the pages of the script again. This was a very minor role compared to Kyoko's normal jobs. It shouldn't have taken her so long to get ready.

The makeup artist started to inch forward to fix the smears of blood and flakes of peeling skin. Cain didn't even glance at her. He was far too busy looking for his sister.

"Who are you looking for?" Setsuka's seductive voice questioned. "The doctor is right over there." Her left hand pointed out in front of Cain while her other hand squeezed his shoulder.

Cain looked at the hand on his shoulder and followed the arm up to a face he didn't recognize. _**Even**_ _as_ _ **an**_ _extra_ _ **she**_ _morphs_ _ **into**_ _a_ _ **completely**_ _different_ _ **person.**_ His eyes narrowed slightly as he traced her bone structure with his eyes. "Setsu. How on earth did they manage to make you look so…" He rolled his right hand several times as if searching for the right word. "Preppy." He said it like the very word tasted rotten as it rolled off his tongue.

The makeup artist stopped moving, her eyes looking up to search Cain's face. Clearly she had been the one to do Setsuka's makeup. "Isn't it great?" Setsuka asked. "Now you won't have any trouble killing me."

Cain contemplated her words for a moment. "I suppose so." He responded. A moment later the makeup artist exhaled heavily as she resumed breathing. A few extra brush strokes and both Cain and Setsuka were ready for the last scene.

* * *

The final scene begins…

Setsuka sat on the ground in jeans and a t-shirt. She looked awkward as the director coached her back into the position she needed to be in. This scene would cut to the exact moment she tried to scramble back to her feet in the group shot from yesterday; so the positions had to match. As he watched her Kuon realized something about Kyoko. He honestly didn't think he had ever seen her in jeans before. And there was something very appealing about seeing her in denim. He shook his head to try to clear the images his mind had just produced.

"Thats perfect Setsuka." Director Konoe told the teen. "Now Cain… I know that you don't want to kill Setsuka so pretend she is someone else."

"Who?" Cain growled in English.

"Shotaro." Setsuka answered.

Cain cocked and eyebrow before he put the pieces together. An unpleasant smile crept across. _**Shotaro**_ _is_ _ **Fuwa**_ _Sho's_ _ **real**_ _name_ _ **isn't**_ _it_ _ **Kyoko?**_

"Ready?" The director asked.

Cain nodded and walked around the corner of the building.

"Action!"

BJ rounded the corner smoothly as his heavy boots slammed against the pavement. The sound seemed deafening to Shotaro as she tried to stand in her high heels. Panic filled her face and it was evident the moment she saw her death reflected in BJ's cloudy eyes. She screamed as BJ's hand warped around the back of her neck and dragged her to her feet. The serial killer pulled her into his body as she struggled against him.

Her panic grew as she thrashed helplessly, her body hanging in midair as BJ held her up by the nape. Her hands beat against BJ as she tried everything she could think of to get out of his solid grasp. It didn't work though. BJ had her and he wasn't letting go. Both actors had completely forgotten about the script. The only thing they remembered was that Shotaro needed to die in a spectacularly bloody way.

BJ slammed the tiny woman in his arms against the wall beside him. It knocked the air out of her and he took the chance to force her to ground. BJ felt a spark of life come back into his puppet like body. It was so much fun when they fought back. He didn't smile. He knew he couldn't smile. But even with his cloudy contacts in the camera caught the moment BJ's eyes filled with life again.

Even with BJ almost laying on top of her Shotaro fought back. Her arms were pinned beneath her, but now that she was on the ground she fought back with her legs. The ground bit into her trapped arms she leaned into it for leverage. Three solid kicks to BJ's chest and she managed to flip over to try to crawl away from him.

He latched onto her ankle, forcibly pulling her back to him across the ground. She screamed again and BJ plunged his always handy knife into her hip. With a ripping motion he pulled the knife against the grain of the muscle, crippling his prey. Shotaro's leg went limp. It was nothing, but a hindrance now. A lucky swing of her arm landed a hit against BJ temple, but he didn't even flinch. He grabbed the offending hand and wrenched Shotaro's body forward. The second stab of his knife landed in her right shoulder and a flick of the blade left it immobile.

BJ watched the fight leak from Shotaro's eyes. She knew he was going to kill her. The fire that resided in her eyes had almost fizzled out when he plunged the knife into her other hip. It wasn't nearly as satisfying. Disappointment haunted BJ's face. It wasn't obvious how BJ managed to give the impression of disappointment on his remarkably stoic face, but it was there… Right up until the moment Shotaro pulled the knife from her own hip and stuck it in the side of his neck.

Fire burned back in both party's eyes as BJ ripped the blade from his own throat and sank it home in Shotaro's. He bent to lick the blood flowing from her fatal wound as the light faded from her eyes and her chest stopped heaving. BJ looked directly into the camera as he lapped up the fake blood like a hungry cat. Blood painted his lips red as he rose from the girl's corpse in search of his next victim. As he walked towards the camera the life in his own eyes faded. BJ was the undead serial killer once again.

"C… Cut!" Director Konoe managed to say on his second attempt.

In a flash BJ was gone and Cain was nervously moving back towards his sister. "Setsu." He called with concern in his voice. She hadn't moved from where she had died. He was almost back by her side when she took a big shaky breath and finally responded.

"Kill me again." She purred. Her voice was soft and pleading yet saturated with a satisfaction that Kuon's intimacy starved brain longed to hear. Though, he had hoped to be finishing up a different kind of activity. The kind normally done behind closed doors.

"You scared me." Cain scolded. "What if I had really hurt you?"

"You'd have to try harder than that to hurt me brother." She answered with a playful pitch in her voice. "Want to try tonight?"

Kuon swallowed harshly. He needed to buy time to come up with an answer. Luckily the director decided to announce the end of filming at that that exact moment. "That's a wrap everyone! Cain-san. Setsuka-san. Get yourselves cleaned up and I'll take you back to the hotel."

* * *

In the president's office at LME nearly two hours later…

Lory picked up the phone on his desk expecting to hear Kyoko's voice on the other end. "Hello, Kyoko-chan."

"Actually boss. It's Kuon." The masculine voice replied.

Lory sat up a little bit straighter and straightened his turban. "Kuon. I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"I didn't expect to be calling." He admitted. "But Mogami-san insisted I call to let you know we will be flying in tomorrow morning.

"What time?" Lory questioned.

The sound of rustling papers preceded Kuon's answer. "9:30am."

"And you will be flying in as…?"

"The Heel siblings of course. We're on the same flight as Murasame."

"Then I shall arrange for an LME limo to pick up my out of town guests from the airport tomorrow morning."

"Thanks boss."

"Of course Kuon. Have a safe flight." Lory said before he hung up the phone. _And please try to remember I have your best interests at heart._ He took off his turban and looked towards the closet at the back of his office. _What does one wear to their own funeral?_ He wondered as he imagined Kuon's reaction to Mariko.

* * *

At that same moment in Cain's hotel room…

Kuon hung up the phone and turned back towards Doctor Kei. She had been observing him from a distance for most of the day, but after filming ended she had ridden back to the hotel with him and Kyoko. Now she was sitting the arm chair in the corner with an unreadable expression.

"Sorry about that." Kuon told her. "I just wanted to make sure that was handled before Mogami-san got out of the shower."

The doctor nodded. "I've noticed you do a lot of things for Mogami-san's sake. Including curb your temper and push the limits of your control."

Kuon looked back at the doctor with unease creeping into his expression. "Yes. I suppose I do."

"Honestly, I want to tell you to stay away from her. She makes you far too volatile. And it's because you can't figure out where you stand with her isn't it?" Kuon opened his mouth to respond, but the doctor cut him off. "But I know that it's too late now. Even if I told you that you could never see her again she would haunt your dreams. And if what I've seen so far is any indication, she would find her way back into your life regardless of what I have to say about it. So… Instead I'll tell you this. Take good care of that woman."

Kuon nodded solemnly.

"I'm glad you understand. Until you land in Japan tomorrow you are still my patient. Call me if anything happens." Doctor Kei told him as she rose to her feet. She scribbled her cell phone number on the hotel room memo pad and handed it to Kuon as she moved for the door.

"You aren't going to say good bye to Mogami-san?" Kuon asked as the doctor reached for the door handle.

"I think it's more important to give you two a little time alone. Starting tomorrow your new doctor will be by your side 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I doubt you will be alone with Mogami-san again for a very long time."

Kuon's face fell in response to her comment. "I'll make the very best of the time I have." He told the doctor. She nodded in response, a sad smile on her lips, and slipped out the door.

Kuon watched the door for a moment then latched the chain and walked back to the bed. He fell back on the stiff mattress with a sigh. _**I**_ _won't_ _ **be**_ _able_ _ **to**_ _be_ _ **alone**_ _with_ _ **Kyoko…**_ On the surface it didn't sound so bad. He would still get to see her… but the longer he considered the comment the worse he felt about his situation. He hadn't realized how much time he had been spending with her. He knew that Yashiro had been rearranging his schedule to give him some time to see Kyoko… but until that moment he hadn't considered how much trouble his manager was really going to make things work.

He laid back and stared at the ceiling wondering about what the future held. A soft sound caught his attention. At first it was hard to tell what he was listening to with the sound of the shower in the background but it seemed to be growing louder. He was through the bathroom door before it ever occurred to him that it might be a bad idea.

Kyoko was kneeling in the shower with her head bowed as sobs shook her whole body. She didn't even look up when Kuon burst through the door. "Mogami-san?! What's wrong? What happened? Are you Ok? I didn't hurt you did I? I didn't mean to. Please tell me you are Ok." Desperation was the only emotion in Kuon's voice. He had been by her side all day. Whatever had happened, he was sure it was all his fault.

His words seemed to sink in and Kyoko slowly turned her head to look at him. "I… I'm morning the loss of Setsuka." She blubbered.

Kuon was at a loss. "Why?"

"Because we are done playing the Heel siblings… I feel like a part of me has died Tsuruga-senpai." She explained as she collapsed back in on herself. More tears followed as she huddled under the stream of falling water droplets.

He tried to comfort her. "No. Mogami-san. That's wrong. Just because you won't get to play her for a while doesn't mean that Setsuka is gone. She'll always be a part of you. There is no reason to morn her loss."

"Don't lie to me Tsuruga-san." She wailed back.

"I'm not lying. Besides, Setsuka and Cain aren't done yet. They still have to see us safely back to Japan." Hopeful amber eyes looked up at Kuon as Kyoko bit her lower lip in worry. _**So**_ _cute_

"Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes. I'm sure." Kuon answered a moment before he felt a crushing weight crash into him. Kyoko's arms wrapped around his torso as she pressed her body into his. Kuon's brain couldn't handle the stimulus. There he was in the arms of the woman he loved, her wet skin pressing against his still bare chest, and he couldn't even remember how to breathe. His mind seemed to be taking snap shots of the situation. A continuous video feed would certainly overload the mental faculties he had left.

"Kyoko…" He managed to choke out as she looked up at him with her soul piercing eyes. Setsuka's long blond hair clung to her skin provocatively pulling his eyes to every curve of her back and buttocks. "What are you doing?"

She leaned back slightly and tilted her head to the side questioningly. Kuon felt his face flush and his brain kick back into full gear as he found himself looking down at her front. The only thing obstructing his view was the press of his skin against hers. _**I'm going to hell. I'm going to hell. I deserve to go to hell.**_ He repeated in his head.

That was the same moment Kyoko realized what she was doing... And that she was naked. She looked into Kuon's contact covered eyes and paled. "I… I… I… I'm SOOooOOoo Sorry!" She screamed before she bolted through the bathroom door.

Kuon's knees gave out and he found himself sitting on the floor, staring at the empty bathroom. _**Didn't**_ _I_ _ **just**_ _agree_ _ **to**_ _take_ _ **good**_ _care_ _ **of**_ _her_

* * *

Ten minutes later…

"Kyoko?" Kuon called from inside the bathroom. He had managed to turn off the shower, but other than that he hadn't found the energy to move. Or maybe he was just too afraid to move.

Her response was muffled, but he considered it a good thing that she responded at all. He peaked out the door to see a bundled figure in the middle of the bed. He tried to coax her out of the cocoon with his words. "I can't understand you under all those blankets."

The blob on bed moved awkwardly, rising and falling as if Kyoko were repeatedly bowing under the blankets. "You know…" He started before he thought better of the idea. He had almost told her that she couldn't properly apologize if the other person couldn't see her face. But that logic didn't make sense. It was his fault for barging into the bathroom. She had nothing to apologize for.

Another thought crossed Kuon's mind. He spoke again, only this time Cain's voice poured from his throat. "You know, Setsu. It's not nice to hide from your brother."

The blob moved again, inching closer to the edge of the bed.

"Setsu." Cain's tone was unamused.

A spill of blonde hair emerged from the edge of the blanket and Kyoko looked at him with concern in her eyes. Cain walked to the other side of the bed and ripped the blanket away from her. "Setsu. You'll hurt your brother's feelings if you keep acting like this."

The timid actress was gone before the blankets hit the floor. In her place Setsuka lounged on the bed and looked up at her brother with playful eyes. "I didn't mean to, brother."

"How do you intend to make it up to me?" He asked as his eyes ran over her body. She had put on her sleepwear, but that hardly covered her body.

She batted her eyes and sat up right on the bed. "What do you want?"

That was a dangerous question under any circumstance, but especially given the events that had just transpired. Cain's expression was contemplative. "I want you to be my Setsu until the very last scene. Be mine alone."

Setsuka smiled brightly. She beckoned Cain to lay down beside her as she moved across the bed. "Of course." She purred. "I am 'your me'. And you are 'my you' until the very last breath leaves our bodies."

* * *

 **A/N: So somehow my 300 word outline for this chapter turned into this… But I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Next time 'Homecoming'.**

 **Anyhow, happy slightly early 'Singles Awareness Day'! *Cough* I mean Valentine's Day. Thanks for reading!**

 **Michiyo can you send me a PM please?**

 *** 10 degrees Fahrenheit... which has a nonlinear conversion to Celsius… but for the parts of the world that don't use insane units of measurements… let's say it dropped from 24 to 18 degrees Celsius. (My inner scientist cries every time I have to convert something out of the metric system.)**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	10. Chapter 10: Homecoming

**The Story so far: Kuon is out of the hospital and it's time to head home. How will Kuon and Kyoko face the new challenges that await them back in Japan?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

* * *

Early morning in the Guam International Airport…

Murasame hadn't slept well. He might never sleep well again. Still, he was sure that he would sleep much better once there were several thousand miles between him and Heel Cain. So, despite the early hour, he was overjoyed to be getting on a plane headed home to Japan. He yawned and looked at the clock one more time. The plane would begin boarding in another 5 minutes, then maybe he could get a few hours of rest during the flight.

He fidgeted with his small carryon bag as he waited for the airline attendants to start the boarding call. First, they allowed all of the disabled passengers and those with very small children to find their seats. Next, they boarded first class passengers. Having booked his seat last minute, Murasame hadn't been able to get a first class ticket. It didn't bother him at all. It was far more important to get away from the monster that starred in his most recent nightmares.

After the director had dismissed him yesterday, Murasame had hung around the set to watch Setsuka and Cain's scene. It had scared the crap out of him. There is no one on the planet that Cain actually cared about other than Setsuka and he had brutally murdered her. Well, BJ was the one who actually did it, but judging from the look in his eyes, he enjoyed it. Ever since then Murasame had been on edge. He didn't believe for a second that he had been forgiven for putting his hands on Setsuka. If anything, waiting for the bogeyman to come and get him was worse than staring Cain in the eye.

It was finally time to start boarding the airplane and Murasame found himself shuffling along in a slow moving line with the rest of passengers. He never quite understood why they didn't load the plane from the back. It seemed like it would be more efficient, but that wasn't the way the airlines did things.

He finally settled into seat 24E and stuffed his small bag under the seat in front of him. After another minute or so, he gave up on people watching as he observed yet another passenger force their oversized carryon into the overhead bins. Reaching into his own bag he pulled out a script for his next project. After hearing that he would be flying back in the morning his manager had admitted she never canceled his commercial shoot for the afternoon. _No rest for the weary I suppose._

* * *

At the same time in front of airport gate 14…

Setsuka grumbled about the slow pace at which the line in front of her seemed to be moving. They had been late getting to the gate and she had been very concerned about missing their flight. Cain on the other hand, had done a lot more flying and knew that boarding times were really more like approximations than actual schedules. It didn't stop Setsuka from grumbling though.

First, they had gotten up at that god forsaken hour. Then the cab they had called for refused to pick them up. The driver had seen them walking towards his car and sped away before they had even reached the curb.

They ended up getting a ride from Director Konoe and it hadn't sat well with Kyoko that she didn't have the time to properly apologize for the inconvenience. After that the airport security had detained them while they checked their passports with an amazing level scrutiny. That in turn, had led to them being patted down for weapons while their bags were checked.

There was also an uncomfortable conversation with a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent whose little metal detection wand had decided that Setsuka's bra had too much metal in it. With no small amount of embarrassment on Kyoko's part, Setsuka had slipped her arms out of the shoulder straps and pulled the bra down to her waist. With a practiced movement she had unclipped the back and handed the offending garment to the stunned agent. "Can we go now?" She had asked in the most disinterested tone she could manage.

At the time it had seemed like they needed to rush, so Kyoko had let Setsuka run wild. However, now that they were in the sluggish boarding line… she understood why Cain had broken out in a fit of deep masculine laughter. Or maybe that had been Kuon. "I told you to wear simple underwear." He had chided as he took Setsuka's discarded undergarment from the distressed TSA agent. He had stuffed it in his trench coat pocket as they walked away.

 _Finally,_ Setsuka thought as she stepped into the actual airplane. After waiting for another 5 people to force their bags into the overhead bins they were able to get to their seats. The only empty seats left on the plane; the seats on either side of Murasame.

Setsuka glanced up at Cain. He looked back down at her as they shared a wordless conversation. With a nod she turned back to face Murasame. _"Move."_ She said flatly as she glared down at the actor.

He looked up from his script with a startled expression on his face. The color drained from his cheeks as he realized his predicament. He lowered the booklet in his hands, but didn't seem to know what to do after that.

Setsuka huffed, blowing a stray stand of hair from her face. _"Fine."_ She said with contempt clear in her voice. Then without any warning she crawled across Murasame's lap. He pulled his script against his chest; his palms pressed flush against the pages to signal to Cain that Murasmae had no intention of touching the teen. She grabbed his shoulder and used him as a hand railing to help swing her shapely legs to the other side of his body. Then she stood up as if nothing had happened, readjusted her too tight shorts, and settled into her seat by the window.

Once his sister was settled Cain dropped gracefully into the aisle seat. The smile on his face was less than pleasant.

* * *

About that same time in Japan...

Mariko woke with a start as she realized she wasn't at home. She looked at the world through bleary eyes and willed her mind to shake off the residual haze. The smell of coffee helped until she asked herself the obvious question. _If I'm alone in Ren's apartment who is making coffee?_

She moved hesitantly to the door and opened it slowly. In her hand she held the small can of pepper spray she had picked up just yesterday. She tried to quiet her own breathing as she strained to hear any sounds of life in the apartment. The ringing of a phone in the living room nearly made her jump out of her skin before she heard a familiar voice.

"This is Yashiro." He answered the phone as he set down his coffee. "Ah. President Takarada." There was a long pause as he listened to what his boss had to say. "Yes. Why?"

"Yashiro-san!" The president's exasperated voice poured from the telephone at a volume even Mariko could hear. "It's not just Ren living there anymore. You can't keep letting yourself in. What if she had been there?!"

"I'll have you know I knocked." Yashiro answered indignantly before another short silence. It seemed the president had a lot to say this morning.

"Is he talking about me?" Mariko asked as she padded into the living room dressed in her favorite flannel pajamas.

"Yamada-sensei! I'm terribly sorry for intruding." Yashiro answered with a bow.

She waved away his concern and pointed to the coffee on the counter. "Where are the mugs?" She was still shaken, but she couldn't very well have her new employer thinking she wasn't up to the task. He indicated a tall cabinet on the left and she set about getting a coffee mug so she could get the much needed caffeine into her system. Not surprisingly all of the mugs matched. They were sturdy ceramic glazed in a dark earthy brown. _Typical for him I suppose,_ she thought as she scanned the rest of the shelves. Something seemed a bit out of place, but her caffeine deprived brain couldn't quite place the source of the feeling.

By the time Mariko had taken her second sip of coffee Yashiro was hanging up the phone. He looked wholly repentant and apologized once again for barging in. Now that she was more awake she realized the sound of knocking was actually what had woken her. "Why are you here so early Yashiro-san?" She asked before she took another sip of her drink.

He checked his watch. "Woods-san will be here to help you with your wardrobe and makeup in about 15 minutes. I've been instructed to help her with anything she needs."

"Wardrobe and makeup? You remember that I'm a psychiatrist don't you?" She questioned him as he opened a small planner and set it on the counter. The calendar was packed with appointments on every page as he flipped through to get to the current date. The events on the first few pages had been written in 3 colors. The new page had a fourth color, blue.

Yashiro pointed to the blue print near the top of the page. It read 'Hair, makeup, wardrobe, Ren's apartment, Jelly Woods'. Mariko looked at him skeptically then turned to scan the rest of the page. There was one more entry in blue. 'Pick up Ren from airport'. "I take it all of my appointments are in blue. What are the other three colors?"

"Black entries are paperwork deadlines. The red ones are all of Ren's appointments. And the purple entries are all of Kyoko-chan's appointments." Yashiro answered as he took a swig of coffee from his own mug.

Fifteen minutes later a light knocking sound came from the front of Ren's apartment. Without waiting for Yashiro or Mariko to move, the door swung open and President Takarada staggered through the door, heavily laden with suitcases and bags. Behind him a petite woman strolled in with a large makeup kit in her hands. The door closed again not long afterwards and Mariko found herself at the mercy of Jelly Woods.

"No." Jelly said again and another of Mariko's shirts was pulled from the hanger. In a matter of minutes Markio's closet had been reduced to less than a third of its original size. Even her shoes weren't safe from the beautician. "Now then." Jelly said as she turned to the large suitcases Lory had brought in for her. She made two piles as she sorted through the contents. The larger pile went back in the suitcases and the smaller pile end up hung in the closet of Ren's guest bedroom. "With the exception of the pajamas you are currently wearing, you will only wear items I or Ren have approved for you." The tiny woman commanded the doctor. "Now pick an outfit and get changed so we can finish your hair and makeup before Ren lands."

* * *

On the tarmac of Guam International Airport just before takeoff…

Murasame had sat quietly between Cain and Setsuka for what felt like an eternity, but was closer to 45 seconds before his temper got the better of him. "Did you have something to say?" He asked Cain in an accusatory tone.

Both Heel siblings turned to look at him. Cain's expression was his normal neutrally pissed off face. It was possibly his softest expression; the one that said he didn't understand a word that came out of Murasame's mouth and couldn't care less if he tired. Setsuka's expression wasn't nearly as kind.

"Don't you have an apology to make?" She sneered in response. "Who would have guessed you had so many holes in your brain."

Now, when a rat is cornered by a predator it does one of two things: it curls up in a ball and waits for the end or it fights back. When the predator is hungry it will eat the cornered rat regardless of its actions, but if the predator is simply bored it will ignore the cowering rat and move on to more enticing prey. The rat that fights back however, dies a torturously slow death as it keeps the predator entertained. Murasame must have wanted a slow death.

"Apologize for what?" He retorted.

Setsuka's eyes narrowed as she peered into his. "For being in the way of course." Her attention shifted to her brother and sympathy colored her expression. "I can't believe you have to do another movie with this moron." Normally she would have addressed Cain in English, but the comment wasn't really for Cain. It was a reminder to Murasame that no matter how brave he wanted to act right now… there was no escaping from her brother.

"Hey, I'm not happy about it either…" Murasame fell silent as the flight attendant started to lecture the passengers on all of the safety features of the airplane. He had flown frequently enough that he didn't need to listen to the standard information, but it was pointless to keep talking when Setsuka' attention was focused solely on the airline employee. As the lecture progressed Murasame found himself glancing in Cain's direction.

The larger man stared at Murasame with a cold expression. He didn't look angry, so much as distant. Distant like BJ. Murasmae gulped as Cain slouched in his seat to be able to whisper in his ear. Kuon's words slid from Cain's throat; every syllable was laced with malice. "If she weren't here you might not have survived this flight." Murasame shivered and he glanced at Setsuka to find her listening to the flight attendant with rapt attention. She didn't notice Cain's threat at all. "You understand don't you? Just how precious she is." Murasame nodded. "The only reason I won't end your miserable existence is because she doesn't want me to."

The information confused Murasame. "Why?" He murmured.

"Simple." Kuon answered. "She doesn't want me to have to stain my hands with any more blood. She seems to think I've been… _reformed_."

"But you aren't reformed are you?" Murasame bit back against his better judgement. His survival instincts seemed to have been stunted in their development due to all his years in a gang.

"I'm trying to be." Kuon answered matter-of-factly as he gave a small shrug. "But you are making it _very_ difficult." Blame was heavy in his tone as he spoke.

Their conversation was interrupted by the roar of the airplane's engines. A slender hand reached out and grabbed onto Cain's wrist. Both men ran their eyes from that pale hand up a feminine arm to Setsuka's downcast face. "Setsu?" Cain's standard rumble was filled with concern for his sister.

"I don't like the takeoff and landing." She said without opening her eyes. "Let me know when it's over."

Neither man moved as the large metal bird launched itself into the sky. As the plane leveled out Setsuka opened her eyes on her own and looked at the frozen men by her side. For a brief moment Kyoko blushed. She was embarrassed by the fact that she had reached out for comfort. It wasn't her first flight, but it was her first flight with Kuon. _No!_ She corrected herself. _It was Setsuka's first flight with Cain._ It fit the character to reach out for her brother. It had nothing to do with the fact Kuon was the one by her side. _Liar. Of course it's because I'm with Kuon._

"Better?" Cain questioned as Setsuka released his wrist. His other hand slid from its position on top of her hand as she pulled it away.

"Yeah." She replied with an unconcerned tone. She turned her whole body to face the small window next to her. "Maybe I'd be more used to it if you took me to all of your jobs." She accused Cain as she hid her face from his view.

"Setsu. You know why I can't always take you with me. If it were up to me I would never let you leave my side." The last words belonged to Kuon even if they were spoken in Cain's voice. _**If**_ _it_ _ **were**_ _up_ _ **to**_ _me,_ _ **I**_ _would_ _ **take**_ _you_ _ **in**_ _my_ _ **arms**_ _and_ _ **never**_ _let_ _ **go.**_

"I'm taking a nap." Setsuka declared without turning back to face him. "Make sure to keep your hands to yourself, Murasame." She commanded as she leaned back in her seat and nestled her head on her right shoulder. She would probably be sore when she woke up, but she was tired; too tired to deal with Murasame and Cain. Sleeping was the best option available to her.

Cain fished into his own carryon bag and pulled out his next script. Murasame ignored him. Cain had obviously said everything he intended to. It was only an hour and a half later that Murasame actually looked at Cain's script. "Are you reading a script written in Japanese?!"

Cain raised an eyebrow. "Tragic Marker is my first Japanese movie. You didn't really think it was going to be my last did you? Setsu and I are moving to Japan." The last part wasn't true. First, Setsuka and Cain weren't real people. Second, they couldn't very well move to the country they already lived in. Kuon just couldn't resist the temptation to mess with Murasame. Kyoko's intentions had been good when she confronted Murasame, but Cain recognized lust in another man's eyes when he saw it.

That was when it happened. The fasten seatbelt signs lit up and the entire airplane bucked violently. The turbulence lasted only a minute or two, but that was all it took to wake Setsuka. She clung to Murasame like her life depended on it; her tiny hands wrapped around his muscled bicep. Her eyes were shut tightly and she seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating as Murasame wrapped his other arm protectively around her. It didn't matter that she was Setsuka. It didn't matter that Cain's arm had also reached across the seat and was gently petting her head. She was so innocent… So vulnerable… The only thing that crossed Murasame's mind was the need to protect the fragile woman in his arms.

They stayed like that for another few minutes before Murasame processed Cain's presence. He started to remove his arm from Setsuka's waist. "Stop." Cain commanded in a hushed voice. "She needs this." Murasame couldn't see his face, but Cain's tone told him everything he needed to know. He was angry, but he was willing to overlook any transgression if it was for Setsuka's sake.

Ten minutes later Setsuka finally looked up at Murasame. Her face was pale and dried tears streaked her face. Kyoko fought the urge to apologize for her inappropriate behavior. Setsuka wouldn't do that. _But what would Setsuka do?_ Her eyes were unfocused as she tried to come up with an explanation. "Teddy!" She finally purred as she snuggled against Murasame's chest.

A vindictive smile spread across Cain's face. Murasame caught the expression out of the corner of his eye and cringed. "Teddy?" Cain asked as Murasame tried once again to release his arm from around Setsuka.

"Yes." The vixen purred as she shifted further back into her own seat. Cain's hand fell back to his lap as she withdrew. It formed a fist as Cain considered punching Murasame square in the jaw. "You have the rodent so shouldn't I get to keep Teddy?" She continued.

"That depends what you want to do with him." Cain answered unhappily.

* * *

In the LME limo outside Narita International Airport in Japan...

Mariko wasn't oblivious to the attention she got from men. She had long ago figured out that she was attractive. What she had been oblivious to until this morning, was how much effort other women put into their daily routines. Now she would have to put in that same amount of effort as part of her job. She had to admit the difference was actually startling. She had always been described as a cold beauty, someone meant to be looked at but never touched. However, after Jelly had worked her magic, the description didn't fit anymore. She looked… elite but approachable… gorgeous but cute… She looked like someone who could actually be dating Tsuruga Ren.

The limo had been parked at the curb outside the baggage claim for about 15 minutes and Mariko was starting to wonder if they were actually in the right place. Part of her didn't believe Lory's assertions that Ren always traveled commercial unless forced to take the LME jet. It seemed like the presence of a star as popular as Ren would interrupt the flow of the airport. She assumed she must be right when all foot traffic leaving and entering the large sliding glass doors stopped. A moment later 3 figures appeared. She was still too far away to see clearly, but that wasn't what she expected. It couldn't be Ren or the mob of people near the doorway would have swarmed him.

Mariko watched as the 3 figures turned and started towards the flashy limo where she waited with Yashiro and Lory. There were two men and a woman. Both of the men were large, towering over the onlookers in the nearby crowds. The first man was dressed all in black, his trench coat swaying slightly as he moved. The second appeared to be dressed more normally in blue jeans and a green V-neck T-shirt. Around his neck however, he wore a bright red ribbon tied in a bow. He looked down at the woman hanging from his arm with a mix of pleading, fear, and irritation. No single emotion seemed to be displayed for more than a few seconds at a time.

The woman didn't seem to be bothered at all. For that matter, she didn't look like she cared about his feelings one way or another. As they approached Mariko realized the second man was actually being dragged along by the tiny blonde woman at his side. His expression turned to panic as another woman started to approach the group. She was dressed in a simple pant suit that provided a striking contrast to the blonde woman in her short shorts and midriff shirt.

"Murasame-san!" The second woman exclaimed as she approached the group. "This must be Cain-san and his sister right? The one from the photo?"

The glare the blonde woman gave her stopped Murasame's manager in her tracks. "Teddy." Setsuka started as she looked up at Murasame. "Who the fuck is that?" She rested her hand on her hip as she faced him in an aggressive stance.

"My manager."

"And what is she doing here?"

"She is picking me up so I'm not late for a commercial shoot later today."

Setsuka's eyes narrowed. "Who gave you permission to leave my side? Humm Teddy?"

"Leave him Setsu." Cain interjected before Murasame could come up with a response. "I'll find you a better teddy bear later."

Setsuka pouted as she looked at her brother. "But he's the best teddy bear I've ever had." She whined.

"Better than me?" Cain questioned in a hurt tone.

"Of course not!" She answered firmly.

"Then leave him." Cain said as he pressed a hand to the small of Setsuka's back and guided her toward the LME limo. "He's hardly worth your time."

After that Murasame's presence was completely forgotten by the siblings as Setsuka cuddled against Cain's side. She looked up at him like he was the only man alive. It was driving him crazy.

Mariko watched the entire exchange from inside of the limo wishing she could have heard the conversation. The dark giant and the tiny blonde should have looked awkward together. She was so small and he was a towering behemoth, but with his arm wrapped around her petite shoulder she looked just as dangerous as he did.

Mariko glanced at her companions in the vehicle. Yashiro was still flipping through paperwork, but Lory was also watching the couple with a delighted expression on his face. It seemed a little excessive. "Do you know them?" Mariko asked a moment before the door opened and the dark figures in question entered the limo.

"Cain-san! Setsuka-san!" Lory exclaimed as the two settled into the back seat of the limo. Cain sat with his knees apart and his arm draped across Setsuka's shoulders. She looked up at him, leaning her head into his shoulder. Her legs were curled up on the seat, her knees overlapping Cain's right thigh. Just watching them made Mariko blush.

"Boss." Cain said in English as he nodded at the man. Today Lory was dressed unusually. It had registered in both Kuon and Kyoko's minds that something must be going on for Lory to be dressed so subduedly.

"Who are you today?" Setsuka asked as if she didn't really care what the answer was. The thought had crossed her mind so she had spoken. There was nothing more to it than that.

Lory smiled and Setsuka couldn't help but do a double take. _Fangs? Is he wearing fangs?_ She inspected his outfit a bit more closely. It made perfect sense to President Takarada to dress as an undead vampire when facing off against BJ, the undead serial killer. In answer to the question ' _What does one wear to their own funeral?'_ Lory had decided on a dark grey tailored tuxedo with a crisp white shirt and a deep purple vest. An intricate brooch adorned his throat in place of a bow tie.

Without intending to Setsuka had started to crawl across the limo seat to inspect Lory's brooch. "Good choice Boss." She said as she fingered the delicate piece of jewelry.

Cain watched her go, his eyes filling with an emotion hardly befitting siblings. A deep laugh reverberated off the walls of the vehicle as he watched Setsuka shift her attention up to Lory's mouth. She was clearly fascinated. "Setsu. Would you let me bite you if I wore fangs?" He asked in a husky voice.

The teen's attention shifted back from Lory to rest on Cain, her trip back across the limo taking longer since her eyes never left Cain's face. She moved like a cat, every motion filled with power and grace. She knew he was watching her, everyone else in the car forgotten. She ended up straddling his lap as her hands slid up his chest. It frustrated Kyoko in a way she couldn't quite understand. Why was it so much less fulfilling than what they did yesterday. _His shirt._ She realized. _His shirt is in the way._

Cain sat back and kept his hands to himself. It was almost impossible, but Kuon knew that Kyoko was lost inside of Setsuka again. One of them had to be responsible. He just hated that it had to be him... When she looked like that. Was touching him like that. _**FUCK!**_ He screamed inside his head.

Her hands finally reached his neck and he felt her left hand run gently through his hair. Her right hand slid up to cup his face and she traced his lips with her index finger. His lips parted and he felt her run the tip of her finger over his bottom teeth before he gently captured it. She turned her head to the side and licked a long line along his jugular vein. "Would _you_ let me bite you if I wore fangs?" She asked.

"Yes." Cain answered as he released Setsuka's finger. The desire behind that single word was overwhelming.

She smiled back at him. "I'd let you bite me too."

Yashiro couldn't take anymore. He cleared his throat to bring the black clad actors back to reality. "Welcome back."

Cain glared at him, his message very clear in his expressive eyes. "Did you say something?" He asked aloud, daring his manager to speak again.

Yashiro's mouth worked, but no sound came out. _Since when is Ren this scary?_ Yashiro had never met Kuon before.

"Cain-san. Setsuka-san." Lory began again, diverting Cain's death glare. "I'd like to introduce you two to someone." He gestured to Mariko and she felt the siblings' hostile gazes shift to her.

"Who is she?" Setsuka asked; her voice devoid of any actual interest.

"Allow me to introduce Tsuruga-san's new therapist." Lory continued. "This is Doctor Yamada Mariko."

Mariko felt the siblings' gazes intensify. It took every last reserve of will power not flinch under their scrutiny. "It's a pleasure to meet you Cain-san, Setsuka-san." She wasn't sure what was taking Ren so long to leave the airport, but she was hoping that he got out soon. She wanted to get away from these two as soon as possible.

"So if you two don't mind…" Lory continued.

The siblings looked at each other as if communicating something. "The end of the last scene?" Setsuka asked after a short silence.

Cain shook his head. "Not yet."

"Promise?"

"I Promise."

With a nod Kyoko dismissed Setsuka and resumed control of her body. Kuon also straightened out, stretching out the kinks in his neck and back. Cain had abysmal posture and it had taken its toll on Kuon. He grunted slightly as he rolled his shoulders. Opening his eyes he realized something was wrong. "Mogami-san?" He questioned the teen who sat frozen on his lap.

Kuon wasn't sure how it was possible, but her entire face was bright red and she looked like she was about to pass out. He started to reach for her shoulder as if to shake her from her stupor. Before his hand got there she was gone. She had dropped to a full bow in the middle of the limo floor and was fervently apologizing to everyone in the vehicle, not a word of it was comprehensible.

Kuon felt Ren's gentleman's smile forming on his face a moment before Kyoko stopped apologizing to stare up at him in horror. "Why are you mad? Tsuruga-san!"

Mariko's attention snapped to the man sitting opposite her in the limo. _He's Tsuruga Ren?!_ Now that she was looking at him and not just the distraught blonde on the floor he seemed different. If it weren't for the clothes she wouldn't have even recognized him as the man they had picked up at the airport. He radiated kindness as the woman on the floor cowered from his brilliant smile. The hair was wrong, but sure enough, he was Japan's top actor.

"I'm not mad Mogami-san." Kuon repeated a second time. _**Sexually**_ _frustrated,_ _ **but**_ _not_ _ **mad.**_ _Was_ _ **sitting**_ _on_ _ **my**_ _lap_ _ **that**_ _distressing_

Kyoko was unconvinced. She slid slowly backwards across the limo floor until she found herself sitting at Mariko's feet. As she bumped into the doctor's legs she looked up at her. Now that Kyoko was out of character she lost herself to fairyland as soon as she looked at Mariko. Kyoko practically swooned. "Fairy princess…" Her eyes were filled with such admiration and joy that Mariko couldn't even correct her. Kyoko looked back across the limo. "Corn! Your therapist is a fairy princess!"

"So you approve Kyoko-chan?" Lory asked the stunned actress. She nodded happily and Mariko felt herself blushing. Lory shared a nonverbal exchange with Yashiro before he continued. "I'm glad to hear that. Because as of today she will be living with Ren." Kyoko's enchanted glow didn't fade at all; if anything it intensified. Whatever she was imagining it had blinded her to the reality of the situation. "She also has to follow him to work."

"I remember." Kyoko answered. Her eyes were still glued to her latest fairy fascination.

"What do you mean?" Kuon asked as he reluctantly looked away from Kyoko. "I don't recall agreeing to that." His tone was confused but very polite. He was doing his very best to play Ren.

Kyoko spoke up before Lory could. "Doctor Kei would only release you if we set up a doctor for you here in Japan. She had a very specific list of requirements. I imagine it was very hard to find someone. And she's so pretty Tsuruga-san!"

"See." Lory said. "Even Kyoko-chan approves of your new girlfriend. Right?"

"Right!" Kyoko answered without comprehending the president's words. The temperature in the limo seemed to plummet.

"I don't think I understood you correctly President Takarada." Kuon said from behind Ren's mask.

"Well the only way we can justify to the press the amount of time you are going to be spending around her is to publicize your condition. Or present her as your girlfriend. You won't actually be dating of course. I imagine Yamada-sensei has much better taste in men than that." Lory explained to a livid Kuon.

Ren's mask cracked and a malevolent smile spread across Kuon's face. Lory's breath caught as he stared into the unforgiving face of the teenager he had rescued from America years before. Lory had thought that Kuon had been getting better over time; allowing himself to heal as he built a new name for himself. Lory had been wrong. Kuon hadn't been healing; he had just locked himself away in the depths of his own mind. And now he was loose again.

Yashiro paled as he looked at Ren. He had considered his charge a friend. At times he even considered him a brother. He thought he had seen Ren at his highest and lowest points, but this was new… It was like watching Kyoko change for one of her roles. Ren wasn't there anymore and whoever had taken his place made Yashiro's skin crawl. He had expected Ren to put up a fight at being told he had to pretend to date Mariko. But he hadn't been prepared for this. The part of his brain that wasn't paralyzed by fear was contemplating his chances of survival if he jumped out of the moving limo.

Mariko wasn't fairing much better than the men. Her body wouldn't move, but her mind was racing. _How can I diffuse this situation?_ She wondered as Doctor Kei's words rang in her ears: _'You do not understand Doctor Yamada. This is a terrible idea.'_ That was the understatement of the year as far as Mariko was concerned.

Kyoko's voice broke the agonizing silence that had filled the car. "Why are you so mad, Tsuruga-san?"

Kuon's expression softened slightly as he turned to look at her. "I can't lose her over this." He offered in explanation.

Confusion flitted across Kyoko's face before it settled into concerned understanding. "If you are worried about the woman you love misunderstanding the situation, you shouldn't be. I'm sure she would support this decision." The look on Kuon's face was heart wrenching. He was terrified of losing the woman he loved. Kyoko could tell that it would break him.

"Why?" Kuon finally asked as he looked into her molten gold eyes. They were covered in grey contacts but they were still Kyoko's fiercely passionate eyes. "Why would she be able to understand seeing me out with another woman in public? Why would she understand that I'm not allowed see her alone? Why would she understand that another woman's clothes are hanging in my closet? I wouldn't be able to take seeing her in another man's arm. I wouldn't understand if I were her."

Tears swelled in Kyoko's eyes. "Don't you dare say that Tsuruga-san. If she doesn't understand, she doesn't deserve you." She blubbered. "You need to do this to get better, Kuon. If she can't support you, she has no right to be with you. Even if you can't bear to see her in another man's arms… She knows that you are an actor. She has to know that your job requires you to be... intimate… with your co-stars."

For a moment nothing was said as Kuon processed her words. "You are absolutely right Mogami-san." Kuon answered in an even voice. He was pulling himself back together, reconstructing Ren's mask. "She will understand." His gaze shifted back to Lory. "But I don't have to be happy about it." The undertones in his voice made it quite clear that there would be further discussion at a later time.

Lory suppressed a shudder and flashed another fang filled smile at his top star. "Sometimes we all have to do things we aren't happy about Son. Oh. One other thing." A dangerous light flashed through Kuon's eyes. Ren's mask was back in place, but it didn't mean Kuon wasn't the one just below the surface. "You and Mariko will have to hold a press conference tonight to announce your public relationship. Yamada-sensei isn't an actress so I expect you to handle it."

"I understand." Kuon answered as he reached for the door handle to his left. "I assume Woods-san is waiting for us upstairs?" The car had stopped in the underground parking lot of LME while Kuon held the other occupants captive with his aura.

Lory nodded. "We will join you in my office shortly. Try not to scare any of the other talents on your way up, Cain-san."

"Come on Setsu." Cain growled and Mariko jumped. The blonde at her feet adjusted her clothes and moved towards Cain.

"Excuse us then." Kyoko said with a bow before she wrapped Setsuka's soul back around her. The Heel siblings left the car without so much as a second glance. They walked through the world in their own perfect bubble of isolation.

Mariko turned to Lory and Yashiro. "How on earth have you been able to keep _that_ out of the public eye?"

* * *

 **A/N: There was a fair amount of speculation about how I was going to incorporate Mariko without shattering Kyoko's tender heart. I hope you all approve of my solution. (Because… Yes. I heard your complaints. And I'm sorry.)** **Comments/reviews are always appreciated. Strike that.** **Comments/reviews are like a drug I can't get enough of. Seriously they're addicting.**

 **Also, a special thank you to my new beta reader Michiyo. I had no idea how badly I needed a beta reader before you saved me from myself. *Author looks back at previous chapters and begs forgiveness of the readers.***

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	11. Chapter 11: Too Cruel

**The Story so far: Kuon has just started down the road to recovery after a stay in a psychiatric hospital in Guam. Now that he is back in Japan it's time to face the music and prepare for the worst press conference of his life.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

* * *

Just before noon in front of the president's office…

Mariko had been hired for her new job less than 24 hours ago and she was already trying to figure out how to hand in her resignation. Assuming she didn't get fired first. Could she get fired? Could she quit? The contract had so many clauses that she wasn't even sure anymore. One thing was certain though, she _really_ didn't want to open the double doors to the president's office. Tsuruga Ren was waiting in there.

When she had found out she would be working with him 14 hours ago it had seemed too good to be true. With a public image like his, this job should have been easy. Of course his other doctor had suggested that he _might_ have multiple personalities. A frazzled giggle escaped Mariko's throat. _He might have multiple personalities? More like he_ _ **has**_ _multiple personalities._ She knew that he wouldn't turn out to be the perfect gentlemen the media portrayed him as, but this was more than she was expecting. She really had no idea how LME had managed to keep his explosive temper under wraps.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the doors. Ren was sitting passively in Jelly's chair with his eyes closed and his face slack. "Is he asleep?" Mariko asked the beautician.

"No." Kuon replied without opening his eyes. "I have to hold my head level or the hair cut won't turn out right. That said I really could use a nap." His jaw dropped as he yawned without shifting his head.

"Didn't get any sleep last night, Ren?" Jelly asked with a teasing tone. "It wouldn't have anything to do with..."

"Let me stop you right there." Kuon's voice was firm, but it didn't hold any of its earlier malice or disdain. He just sounded like he was tired of answering the same question over and over again. "Nothing happened between Mogami-san and myself."

"The woman from the limo?" Mariko asked skeptically. "The one who _literally_ had her hands all over you?"

"What?! Ren!" Jelly screeched inches from Kuon's ear. He flinched visibly and opened his eyes to glance warily at the beautician before regaining his composure.

"The woman from the limo who had her hands all over me… You mean Setsuka?" He questioned casually. He fell silent for a moment as Jelly physically readjusted his head to the angle she needed. "Setsuka is Mogami-san, but Mogami-san isn't Setsuka."

"Could you elaborate on that?" Mariko asked. That statement had clearly been intended to convey more information that she had gleaned from it.

At first Kuon wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I'm sorry, Yamada-sensei. I had assumed President Takarada and Yashiro-san had told you about Mogami-san. She becomes her characters so completely that she… forgets herself. Setsuka sees only her brother Cain. If I'm not in character, I'm just another warm body for her to ignore… Or possibly torment depending on her mood." Mariko found that hard to believe, but held her tongue as he continued. "I thought after the past few days Mogami-san might have started to actually see me as a man... but it would seem that in her view I'm just her respected senpai." A thread of hurt laced the last sentence.

Mariko looked into the deep brown eyes of Japan's number one actor and wondered just how good he was. "Can I trust you to be honest with me?" She questioned.

A chuckle answered her as entertainment flooded Kuon's face. _**She is sharp isn't she Ren?**_

 _Yes she is. Even Doctor Kei didn't ask if we could be trusted._

 _ **You're right. She just assumed.**_

 _So_ _ **can**_ _we_ _ **be**_ _trusted_

"No. Yamada-sensei. You cannot trust me." Ren answered honestly.

"Ren!" Jelly scolded as she mixed a bowl of hair dye.

"But we will try to be honest with you." He finished his thought.

The 'we' didn't escape Mariko's notice, it just wasn't worth commenting on. She had already concluded he had multiple personalities. "Why can't I trust you?" She asked.

Ren's eyes shifted to Jelly, but he continued to speak to Mariko. "My livelihood depends on my ability to lie effectively. Depending on the situation I may not be able to tell you the whole truth."

Mariko understood what he was telling her even if she wasn't pleased with the response. "Here." She said as she extended a stack of paper towards Ren. "The president told me to give this to you."

Ren started to read as Jelly finished styling his hair with a practiced efficiency. "Yamada-sensei?"

His words broke Mariko's train of thought. She had been reviewing the events of the limo ride. "Yes?"

"Are you aware that you have handed me the results of a background check?"

"What?"

"The first few pages were an explanation of the public relations plan the president has developed, but the next section is a background check on you. Are you comfortable with me reading it?"

Mariko looked at Ren with a combination of consideration and confusion. "I knew that I consented to a background check, but I didn't realize that President Takarada intended to give it to you. I do think better of you for asking me instead of just reading it. However, I have nothing to hide. You are welcome to read it if it makes you feel more comfortable talking to me."

"I'm afraid it has nothing to with being more comfortable talking to you Sensei. I need to have appropriate background information to create a believable boyfriend character."

"You make it sound difficult."

Ren answered without hesitation. "It is. As a matter-of-fact, Sensei, I was nearly fired from a drama because I couldn't convincingly act out love."

"You didn't seem to have that problem with Dark Moon."

Ren shook his head. "Dark Moon was the drama I was almost fired from."

His answer caught Mariko off guard. She looked at Jelly who was packing her supplies while they waited for the hair dye to set. "I'm surprised that isn't one of your closest kept secrets. Wouldn't it be bad for your career if that was made public?"

"Hardly. Most of my fans are women. A story about how true love saved my acting career would probably only increase my fan base."

"Oh. I suppose you could spin it that way."

"No. Sensei. That's the way it really happened." Mariko felt herself falling into Ren's eyes. He was either the best actor on the planet or head over heels in love. The gentle smile on his lips made her question if the limo incident was all a dream. Captivated she continued to stare as he resumed reading.

* * *

Ding! Ding! Jelly's little timer jumped to life. Mariko wasn't sure how much time had passed before she was jolted from her reverie, but Ren seemed to be done reading. The smile he showed her now wasn't nearly as pure. It was still a good smile, but it seemed hollow compared to the smile he flashed before. "Yamada-sensei, what should I call you in public?"

* * *

A few minutes before 3pm in front of a high school somewhere in Tokyo…

Murasame leaned against a wall as he watched his manager argue with the director. He hadn't been thrilled to be getting off of a plane and heading directly to work, but he had complied. The commercial was almost done being filmed. There was just one more cut scene where his character was supposed to be interacting with a cute girl at his high school. The problem being, the director hadn't hired anyone to play the high school girl. Instead he had come to this high school for actors to look for one that caught his eye. Murasame's manager had been arguing with him ever since he explained his plan.

A bell rang, announcing the end of the school day. Teenagers started to pour out of the front doors of the school only a few minutes later. Murasame had tried to hide himself from view so not be noticed, but it seemed he didn't have to worry. Almost everyone had focused on the superstar leaning against the gates of the school.

Fuwa Sho was certainly eye catching. With blonde hair and blue eyes he really stood out against the crowd of high schoolers. Although, if Murasame remembered correctly, Sho was only 17 himself. "Sho-chan?!" An excited female voice shrieked. "Did you come to see me?!"

The blonde barely looked at the black haired girl who had addressed him. His eyes were scanning the crowd for someone else. "You're sure she is here today?" He asked.

"Yes." The buxom beauty replied. "She looks different today, but it's defiantly her."

Sho didn't even look at the girl when he responded. "Different how?"

Murasmae didn't catch the rest of the conversation as his attention was drawn to a hauntingly familiar figure. He was moving towards her before his better judgment could kick in. "Setsuka-san!" He called over the heads over several teens. Amber eyes turned to stare at him and for a moment he thought he had made a mistake.

Kyoko had turned on reflex when she heard Setsuka's name being called. _How did he recognize me?_ She wondered a second before brushing a long blond hair from her face. She thought back for moment. _We went up to the president's office to meet with Goddess-Sama (Jelly). I washed off my makeup and took out my contacts. Then I changed into my school uniform. I saw the time… Then I ran out the door… with Setsuka's hair…_

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Kyoko made a split second decision. She hoped it would be the right one. "Teddy?!" Setsuka exclaimed in a heady tone. An instant later the sultry teen was the center of attention. The crowd seemed to part just for her as she strode across the open ground towards Murasame. She came to a stop with her hands on her hips. She looked thoroughly unimpressed and a little pissed off. "Where is your bow Teddy?"

Murasame reached for his throat. "I don't know." He answered absently as he drowned in her eyes. The color was wrong, but Setsuka's intensity gave her away. She couldn't hide her personality behind a pair of colored contacts.

"That's just irresponsible, Teddy." She scolded as she reached up to her own throat and undid the clasp at the back of her school issued bowtie. She ran her free hand up his chest and wrapped it around the side of his neck. She closed her eyes briefly as she rotated her hand around his neck, measuring it. From Setsuka's perspective there was nothing sexual about her actions. She was the only one who felt that way though. Rumors were already starting to circulate behind her as she adjusted the bow tie and secured it around Murasame's throat. "Take better care of this one or I'll have brother beat the stuffing out of you."

"Kyoko?" Sho asked from directly behind her. A cold wind blew across the school yard, but Setsuka's disguise held as she turned to look at the blond singer. There wasn't a single flicker of recognition in her eyes.

She turned back to Murasame as if nothing had happened. "I can't believe how gullible you Japanese people are. I thought this challenge was going to be hard, but I already won. Now brother has to let me act with him again." She sounded happy as she talked at Murasame. She didn't wait for a response. She wasn't expecting one. "He promised me that if I could fool Kyoko-chan's classmates into thinking I was her, that he would find a project we could do together. Not that I didn't enjoy having him kill me. I _really_ did. But I can't be satisfied with just that." She wore a dreamy smile as she inattentively played with Murasame's clothes; smoothing out wrinkles in his shirt and brushing imaginary dust from his shoulders.

"You're not Kyoko?" Sho interjected. Setsuka didn't look like Kyoko to him, but his girlfriend, Mimori, insisted it was her. He had been fooled by his childhood friend's acting a few times in the past so it was better to check.

Setsuka's eyes narrowed as she turned on the foolhardy singer. "Didn't I just say that? Who the fuck are you anyways? What do you care if I pretend to be my brother's handler?"

Sho reeled momentarily from the disregard in the blond woman's voice. As he recovered, he started to laugh. "You're brother's handler? She's been reduced to playing manager? That plain, boring girl, with no sex appeal has been reduced to playing manager for some foreigner?!" The giggles that punctuated his words were very unbecoming the visual kei king. He knew it was uncool, but he just couldn't help it.

Setsuka's aura grew hostile. "My brother isn't just some foreigner. He's Heel Cain and you'd do well to remember that." The chill in her voice froze Sho's blood and he stopped laughing abruptly.

Murasame focused on a different part of Sho's statement. "Did you just mistake Setsuka for a plain, boring girl, with no sex appeal?" He asked with a combination of outrage and disbelief.

Setsuka turned to Murasame with a disappointed expression on her face. "I don't think that was the important part of the lower life form's comment, Teddy." Setsuka stated flatly. "But his thinking clearly needs to be corrected. Should I leave it to you?"

The color drained from Murasame's face. If he got in a fight with one of Japan's top singers it was sure to spell disaster for his career. On the other hand, the alternative was probably a real fight with Heel Cain. "No. Wait. Hold this for me Teddy." Setsuka instructed as she handed him her school bag. "I'll solve the issue myself." Her tone made it clear that her decision was final.

Murasame watched with apprehension as a tilt of Setsuka's head spilled her hair over her shoulder. She looked Sho over, her eyes sliding down his body as she drank him in. She licked her lips as she took a step closer. Sho mimicked her unconsciously, his half step forward bringing them within arm's reach. A playful smile settled on Setsuka's face as her heavily lidded eyes ran down his body again. Murasame wasn't sure if she was planning to seduce Sho or was just deciding how best to dissect him. _Dissect him._ Murasame decided a moment before the temptress opened her mouth. "You didn't mean to insult my brother did you?" She purred as a hand reached out to caress Sho cheek.

Sho cleared his throat before he managed to answer. "No. I didn't"

Setsuka shivered as she looked back down his body. She looked excited by the prospect of seeing what Sho was hiding under clothes. Sho gulped before a wicked smile bloomed across Setsuka's face. "And you didn't mean to compare me with a plain, boring girl, with no sex appeal did you?"

"No." Sho choked out a moment before a furious Mimori started angrily pawing at his shoulder. He blinked as he realized he was being hit. She might not have been Kyoko, but the blonde girl mesmerized him the same way she did. Everything else had faded into the background. It wasn't a slip up he could afford with this many witnesses... Especially considering they were all involved in the entertainment industry... He looked around him to see several girls gaping at him and more than a few guys with their eyes glued to the foreigner.

"See it's not so hard to admit when you're wrong." Setsuka mused. She sauntered back over to Murasame like a pleased cat; elation and pheromones seeming to roll off of her. She reached out expectantly, but he just looked back at her dumbfounded. "My bag, Teddy."

"Oh." He answered as he handed it back to her.

"Don't lose that bow, Teddy." She said with a sly smile before she walked out the gate of the school. He nodded obediently until she was out of sight. Sho watched her go too, his feet planted in place. It would take another 5 minutes before either man realized she had never commanded either of them to 'stay'. It took considerably less time for pictures of the incident to be posted online.

* * *

Two hours later at TBM studios…

Ren and Mariko sat in a dark hallway far away from dressing rooms and the large variety show stages that filled the floor. They were meeting with a group of tabloid and entertainment news reporters at 7pm, but Ren had insisted on coming early.

Mariko had been trying to keep a close eye on the actor's behavior, but she kept getting side tracked by his smile. Not that she was the only one. Since they had left the LME lobby at 2pm she had watched Ren and his manager deftly ward off at least 30 women. The doctor was beginning to feel hated just for being in close proximity to Ren. They hadn't even announced their fake relationship yet.

Ren was staring at his hands as he sat perched on a stack of padded mats. He looked like he was thinking about something serious, but Mariko hadn't managed to ask him about it yet. Every time she interrupted his thoughts he gave her his full attention and pretended that nothing was wrong. Whatever was on his mind, he wasn't ready to share yet.

A startled squawk came from the end of the hallway. Mariko turned her head towards it, but the source of the noise had disappeared back around the corner. Ren wasted no time getting to his feet and following the vanishing shadow. "Wait Bou! I need to talk to you."

Mariko's eyes widened as Bou the chicken peeked his head back around the corner. The chicken looked uncertain, but shrugged his shoulders in defeat before making his way into the hallway. Ren waited for him and walked back to makeshift seat side by side with the chicken. The absurdity of the situation left Mariko in a stunned silence. "Can you move over so I can sit with my friend?" Ren asked her politely.

"Of course." She said as she moved to the far edge of the mats. _Ren is friends with Bou the chicken?_

Bou eyed Mariko suspiciously. "Who is this?" He asked Ren. Kyoko already knew that answer, but Ren didn't know that she was the one in the chicken costume. It was probably the best kept secret at TBM.

"Ah. Let me introduce you. Bou, this is Doctor Yamada Mariko. She is my psychiatrist. And Yamada-sensei, this is my friend Bou."

"Tsuruga-san?" The doctor asked in concern. "I didn't think you intended to tell anyone else about that."

Ren nodded. "But Bou is a special case." He turned to the chicken. "I actually wanted to get your opinion on my situation."

"Your situation?" Bou asked. "Is it about the high school girl again?"

"You see right through me, don't you?" Ren asked in response.

"Well. Tell me about it." Bou said as he settled his plush chicken rump on the floor. After inspecting the stack of padded mats Kyoko had determined there wasn't enough space for all of them. She had decided to sit against the wall directly across the hall from Ren.

"I… I ended up in the hospital a couple of days ago." Ren started. Bou looked up at him with rapt attention and concern.

"Are you alright now?"

"Not really." Ren answered honestly. "Doctor Yamada is here because I shouldn't be left alone."

Mariko could feel the pity radiating off of the chicken. "I'm sorry you are stuck with him Yamada-sensei."

Ren made an exasperated sound. "I'm not that bad." The chicken's plastic face didn't move, but his body language alone was enough to challenge Ren's statement. "I could be worse." A tilt of the chicken's head said he didn't agree with that statement either. "They want me to pretend to date her." Ren finally blurted out.

"And how does she feel about it?" Bou asked after a moment of silence. Mariko thought that Bou was talking about her, but Ren's answer said otherwise.

"She says I have to do this to get better. She says that she understands I'm an actor and there are somethings I have to do for my career."

"Well then what is the problem if your real girlfriend supports your decision to have a fake girlfriend?" Bou asked as if the situation were perfectly normal.

Ren buried his face in his hands and spoke in a muffled voice. "I still haven't managed to tell her."

"But you just said she understands why you need to have a fake girlfriend."

Ren looked thoroughly embarrassed as he spread his fingers to look at Bou. "I haven't managed to tell her I'm in love with her yet." Bou stopped moving. "Bou?" Ren asked as he dropped his hands from his face.

"You haven't told her yet!" The chicken was suddenly leaning into Ren's face with fire in his mesh eyes. "How have you not told her yet?!" The fuming chicken turned on one foot and paced animatedly up and down the hallway. "This is awful Tsuruga-san. It's too cruel for words."

"Bou?" Ren asked again as Mariko watched the chicken with interest. _If only I had a video camera…_ Mariko thought to herself. A video of Japan's number one actor being lectured by a plush chicken in a chef's jacket would probably have a record number of online views. It surprised her though, to see how calm Ren seemed to be around the chicken. The more time she spent around the man the more obvious it was that his behavior in the limo was far out of the ordinary.

The chicken froze mid stride and fell to his knees. The sounds of hiccupping sobs filled the hallway. "It's too cruel, Tsuruga-san. She doesn't know how you feel about her. What if she loves you back?! I mean she has to love you back. You're Tsuruga Ren."

Ren looked at Bou with wide eyes. "I don't understand, Bou. But she doesn't love me." He looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. "She cares about me, but she can't love me. And that is why I haven't been able to tell her."

A split second later Bou was so close that Ren could feel his ragged breath forcing its way out of the costume. "Idiot!" The chicken fussed. "She is being a good friend. She is telling you what you need to hear. I bet she is devastated by the idea of you dating someone else. Even if it's not real." Inside the chicken suit Kyoko was on the verge of tears. She was in love with Ren. She was in love with Kuon. So she understood the pain that came along with the president's plan. _You can't put the woman you love through this Tsuruga-san. It hurts too much._

Suddenly Bou was back across the hallway, stomping on invisible cockroaches only he could see. He growled as he smashed a particularly suborn figment of his imagination into oblivion. "Don't be like my ex…" The chicken warned as he turned back towards Ren.

"Then what should I do?" The actor asked the chicken rather than his highly educated therapist.

The furious chicken calmed almost instantly. He raised his right wing and tapped his jaw in a contemplative gesture. "You can't get out of this?"

Ren shook his head.

"And you can't say your doctor is a relative of some kind?"

Ren shook his head again. "No. I can't have the tabloids looking into my family."

"Why not?"

"Tsuruga Ren didn't exist until about 6 years ago." Ren answered.

The chicken nodded in understanding, but Mariko had something to say. "Are you willing to give up your future with this woman to protect your past?"

Ren looked terribly lost as her words sunk in. Staring directly into Mariko's eyes he answered her question, his voice exuding a force of will that seemed absent from his eyes. "There is nothing I wouldn't do to protect her. And that is precisely why I cannot let the media find out about my family. She wouldn't make it out of the maelstrom in one piece." His voice grew colder as he turned towards Bou. "She can't love me. So it doesn't matter if I tell her or not. I still have to do this." It was clear the chill in Ren's voice wasn't directed towards the chicken. He was hardening his heart, preparing to let go of the most precious thing in his world. Because it would be better for her…

Bou hung his head in defeat. "I don't know how to help you, Tsuruga-san." He sounded genuinely distressed that he couldn't help his friend. Kyoko knew all about one sided love and it pained her to see Ren in such a state. _She doesn't deserve you Kuon._

"Ren-san." Yashiro called as he rounded the corner of the hallway. "Oh. And Bou too. It's been quite a while hasn't it? I'm sorry to cut this short but I need to get these two upstairs."

"Of course." The chicken replied as he started to move down the hallway away from Yashiro. "I need to get out of my costume too."

Ren watched as the Bou waddled around the next bend in the hallway before he turned to follow Yashiro to his dressing room. Mariko observed his face carefully. He wore a professional smile, but his eyes looked past the world before him, as if he were focused on something else entirely. _If she actually loves him too, it really would be too cruel for words._ Mariko thought to herself as they navigated the winding halls of the television studio. She hated that she felt so helpless. She was supposed to be helping him, but there was a good chance her help would break one of the most important relationships he had in his life.

* * *

 **A/N: I suppose it would also be too cruel to stop writing here and make you all wait another week for a new chapter. (Which is why I delayed posting until I had the next chapter done.) So don't stop here. Turn the page (or click the link…?). It's time to find out how Ren handles his press conference.**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	12. Chapter 12: Sleeping Arrrangements

**The Story so far: After introducing his physiatrist to his confidant (the chicken), it's time for Ren's press conference. How will Japan handle his announcement?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways. I also do not own the lyrics in this chapter. They belong to the band All Time Low.**

 ***Special Note: I posted 2 chapters at the same time. If you feel like you missed something take a look at the last chapter.**

* * *

Five forty five pm in Ren's assigned dressing room…

Yashiro waved his hand in front of Ren's face one more time. "Ren-san… Ren. REN. REN! RRrrEEeeNNnn!"

The actor blinked slowly as the world came back into focus. He had obediently followed Yashiro to his dressing room, but his body was acting independently from his mind. "I need my cell phone." He announced without preamble.

"Why?" Yashiro and Mariko asked simultaneously. While Yashiro seemed to be in constant contact with the rest of the world, Mariko hadn't seen Ren pull out his own cell phone once in the past 6 hours.

"I need to talk to Woods-san." He answered as a defiant light glinted in his eyes. He couldn't get out of the press conference and he couldn't get out of having Mariko by his side. He knew that Kyoko would never forgive him if he didn't follow the doctor's orders and focus on getting better. But that didn't mean he had to just give in to the president's plan. "There is going to be slight change in plans for the press conference."

That was all he explained before he put the cell phone to his ear and walked out the door. Mariko and Yashiro exchanged looks of confusion. "Does he normally do this?" Mariko asked.

"Walk off mid conversation? Only when Kyoko-chan is involved."

Three minutes later Kuon walked back into the room and dropped gracefully onto the couch Mariko occupied. He flashed a charming smile as he leaned towards the startled doctor. "Have you informed your family of our arrangement?" He asked as he brushed a strand of hair back over her ear.

Mariko's heart pounded. Logically she _knew_ it was an act, but it didn't change the way her body reacted. After all he was Tsuruga Ren. Her cheeks felt hot and she was pretty sure Yashiro could hear her heart beat from across the room. In less than a minute Kuon had torn down her carefully constructed walls; the walls she had been fortifying specifically to withstand him. In that moment she would have agreed to anything he wanted. And Kuon wanted to talk about her dysfunctional family. Her voice was breathy when she finally managed to speak. "No. I haven't."

"Why not?" His tone was playful as he draped his arm across her shoulders. When he said it that way, Mariko felt almost silly for keeping her new job a secret from her family. But it wasn't silly. He had read her background. The jerk knew about her family. _How can he be playing me like this?!_ Mariko screamed at herself in her head.

Kuon rested his chin on his shoulder as he stared into Mariko's eyes from only inches away. Tears were starting to well up, threatening to spill over and cascade down her cheeks. "It would be a shame to ruin your makeup." He murmured as he gently wiped the tears from her eyes. His words were filled with care and remorse as if he regretted his last words.

Mariko forgave him instantly. Which was amazing, because he hadn't offered even a semblance of an apology. She couldn't stay mad. Not at him. She nodded in agreement with his previous statement as he retreated to the other side of the couch. She missed the heat of his touch as soon as it left her, but there was no way she was going to admit that out loud. A moment later she found herself intentionally staring at the floor as she tried to clear her head. "What are you doing?" She finally managed to ask as his overwhelming presence faded.

On the other side of the couch Kuon had morphed back into the perfect gentleman with a polite yet captivating smile. "My Job." He answered.

Mariko looked back at him incredulously. "Your job?"

"The president went out of his way to mention that you aren't an actress." Kuon explained. "I needed to know how you would react to me."

Comprehension leaked into Mariko's eyes. He had flustered her so badly, that she had at some point forgotten he was acting. _Dangerous._ She reminded herself. _This man is very dangerous._ It was one thing to have to worry about her physical safety, but another to have to worry about her emotional wellbeing. Mariko hadn't fully considered what working with an actor would entail. She found herself replaying all of their interactions in her head.

All the while Kuon leaned back on the other side of the couch and watched the doctor, his face betrayed nothing. Looking back into the mask of a perfect gentleman, Mariko came to a terrifying realization. She had no way to distinguish his acting from reality.

As if reading her mind, Yashiro spoke up. "There is a reason they call him the co-star killer. I assure you Mariko-san, that every single one of Ren-san's co-stars have worn that same questioning look."

Mariko looked at Yashiro in disbelief. She had heard the term before but it hadn't made much sense to her at the time. "This is normal for him?" Yashiro nodded with an almost proud expression on his face.

"Are you wondering how much of our interaction has been an act and how much has been the real me?" Kuon questioned.

"Yes." The doctor replied.

Kuon's professional smile dimmed just a bit as he shrugged his shoulders in a very American gesture. "I don't really know myself. I, like Mogami-san, am a method actor. I don't portray my characters. I become them." His eyes flicked to his manager for a split second before he continued. "But perhaps we can work on sorting that out over the next few days." The message came across clearly. As close as Ren was with his manager, he wouldn't be discussing this topic any further with Yashiro in the room.

* * *

An hour later in a storage closet down the hall…

Kyoko looked at Jelly through contact covered eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." The beautician replied as she put the finishing touches on Kyoko's makeup. "Now stop wasting time and put on your dress."

Kyoko did as she was told, but worried her bottom lip as she looked at her cell phone for the 100th time in the last hour. "Wouldn't he have called me directly? He didn't even give me any details about the character."

"You only have one line, Kyoko." Jelly told her as she picked up the lip gloss once again. "I'm certain you are a good enough actress to handle one line. Now stop chewing on your lip."

* * *

Seven pm in the room for the press conference…

As Yashiro walked out to introduce his charge he was surprised to see how many reporters had actually shown up for the event. What was even more concerning than numbers however, was the silence that filled the room before he had even finished walking to the podium. Being Ren's manager, Yashiro hadn't had to deal with too many press conferences, Japan's number one star preferred one on one interviews to a forum like this, but he had been to enough of these events to know it was odd that the room quieted itself. "Good evening." Yashiro addressed the crowd. "And thank you all for joining us tonight. Before I turn the stage over to Tsuruga-san, I'd like to lay down some ground rules. Tsuruga-san will not answer any questions until he has finished making his planned statement. After that he will take questions one at a time. He assures me that he will answer any and all questions presented to him tonight."

One of the reporters raised his hand and Yashiro nodded to him to speak. "There are easily 100 different media outlets here. Does Tsuruga-san really intend to speak to each of them?" Murmurs of agreement could be heard from the other reporters. Yashiro cringed. That had been what Ren had said. And it had seemed like a good idea when he thought Ren would only have to talk to 20 reporters.

"I suppose I'll take one question early." Ren answered the reporter as he entered from the side of the stage to save his floundering manager. "It is true that there are a large number of groups represented here. And I admit I didn't expect to see so many people. I don't feel my news is all that news worthy. However, what my manager has explained is true." He paused for a moment to look at his manager who was walking towards the edge of the stage. "Although… I have to be on set for my next drama at 8am so I will need to leave here by 7am."

The reporters were dead quiet. They weren't sure if he was joking or not… but it sounded like Tsuruga Ren had just agreed to answer any question the reporters could throw at him for the next 12 hours.

"Now then." Ren began. "I'd like to introduce someone." He held out his hand to Mariko who was hiding in the wings. She froze. Ren's expression softened before he addressed her directly. "I know that you aren't used to the spotlight, but we did call this press conference specifically to introduce you."

The atmosphere in the room changed dramatically at Ren's words. The few press conferences he had held in the past all had to do with new projects that he was planning to undertake. The fact that he was going out of his way to pull someone into the limelight… well the reporters were chopping at the bit. Whatever was coming they could tell it was going to be big news. Even if Ren was trying to downplay it.

Mariko found herself once again questioning if it was too late to quit. It was of course, but the doctor indulged her fantasy as her long dormant fear of public speaking made itself known.

Ren's smile widened just a bit as he stepped away from the podium. "Yamada-sensei." He called as he moved towards the statuesque doctor. He looked hurt by the thought that she didn't want to be seen on stage with him. For a moment she thought he was going to reach out and take her hand, but he stopped with his body still in clear view of the reporters, only his hand extended behind the curtain. It was still Mariko's decision if she was going to take his hand or flee from the room.

Kyoko watched from the back of the room with a sinking feeling. She was supposed to wait until Ren introduced Mariko then push her way to the front of the room. Ren wanted her to provide some comic relief to lessen the blow of his announcement. At least that was how Jelly explained it… But it wouldn't work if Mariko never made it on stage.

The delay was starting to weigh on the gathered reporters. The silence that had filled the room at the beginning of the press conference was rapidly being replaced by speculative whispers. Kyoko decided to take matters into her own hands. She couldn't let Mariko damage Ren's reputation. She pushed her way to the front of the room amid a series of complaints from the people she jostled. "Onee-san!" She called as she bypassed the stairs and hopped onto the stage.

Ren smiled at the teenager who had just stolen the attention of everyone in the room. He turned from Mariko to instead offer his hand the long haired brunette now sitting on the edge of the stage. "Mizuki-chan. I expected you to be backstage. No wonder your sister is hiding from me."

Kyoko, now disguised as Mariko's little sister Mizuki, accepted his hand without hesitation. He was supposed to be dating her sister. Of course she would be comfortable interacting with Ren. Even if he hadn't explained much about her character she knew that much. He pulled her to her feet and she graced him with a breathtaking smile.

Ren held onto Kyoko's hand just a little bit longer than he should have as she moved to retrieve Mariko from her hiding place. Kyoko had come to Ren's rescue when he really wasn't sure what he was going to do next. He hadn't even considered that Mariko might refuse to walk on stage.

The appearance of Mizuki hadn't actually helped to coax Mariko out in front of the cameras. If anything her mind locked up worse. "Mizuki?" She asked her sister as the teen walked towards her.

The teen cocked her head to the side as she looked at the paralyzed doctor. "You really have a sister named Mizuki?" Kyoko asked her in a low voice. It wouldn't do to have their conversation overheard by the reporters siting just a few feet away. Mariko blinked rapidly. "We can talk about it later. But right now you have to come out on stage with me." Kyoko continued. She didn't understand what was going on either, but she trusted Ren to make it work.

When the two women finally emerged from behind the curtain Ren was wearing a brilliant smile. He beckoned them to join him by the podium as he introduced Mariko. "As you can all tell my _friend_ is nervous to meet you. But now that we've gotten her out on stage allow me to introduce everyone to Doctor Yamada Mariko and her little sister Yamada Mizuki." More than one reporter had written down the word 'friend' with a question mark behind it. The way Ren had said it implied that 'friend' wasn't an accurate word, but he was probably too much of a gentleman to say 'lover' in front of video cameras.

"Doctor Yamada is actually a psychiatrist that specializes in Dissociative Identity Disorders. And I think that most of you would agree her specially is rather fitting. I for one know at least a few actors that can change from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in a matter of seconds. I hope you don't find it to immodest of me to include myself among their numbers."

Mizuki giggled. It developed into a full blown laugh as Ren raised an eyebrow at her in question. "They haven't seen Mr. Hyde yet have they Ren-san?" Another giggle interrupted her response. "I don't think anyone is going to believe you played the villain in that movie."

Ren knew instantly she was referencing Tragic Marker. He put his index finger to his lips and made a shushing sound as his eyes widened for emphasis. "You know that has to stay a secret."

The reports exchanged looks as the hazel eyed teen pouted and Ren looked back at her with an equally juvenile look on his face. She finally conceded by looking away. She looked mildly disappointed as she brought her right hand to her mouth and pretended to drag a zipper across her lips. She finished the gesture by fixing an imaginary lock to the end of the zipper and handing Ren the key.

He chuckled as he accepted the imaginary key and held it up to the light. He flashed Kyoko one of his real smiles before he spoke. "You know I'm not giving you the key back right?" Mizuki lunged for the key as Ren stepped gracefully out of her way.

Mariko felt herself start to relax as she watched the two of them. The smile that graced her own lips caught the attention of at least a few of the camera men in the room. It had been 3 years since she had actually seen her sister and it warmed her heart to see Kyoko's portrayal of Mizuki. She hoped that, where ever she was hiding from their parents, her real sister was as happy as Kyoko made her seem.

A barely suppressed laugh came from Mariko's throat. Ren's attention was on her instantly as Mizuki reclaimed her imaginary key and set about unlocking her lips. "Did you forget where we are?" She asked the grinning actor.

"Not at all." He replied as his gentleman's mask fell back in place and he turned back to the reporters. "As I was saying…" The words stuck in Ren's throat. He couldn't say it. He had convinced himself that the president's plan would be Ok. Kyoko had given him permission to go through with this, so it was Ok. She didn't love him, so it was Ok. But it wasn't Ok.

 _ **No. We are not going through with this.**_ Kuon's words in their head left no room for argument.

 _But we have to._ Ren countered. _What else can we do? We came up with a way to keep Kyoko close. Isn't that enough?_

 _ **NO!**_ Kuon raged. _**We have to do better than that!**_

A third voice floated through the void. No. Not a voice. That would imply someone had spoken. This was a memory. A memory of Bou's words. _"This is awful Tsuruga-san. It's too cruel for words… What if she loves you back…? She is being a good friend. She is telling you what you need to hear. I bet she is devastated by the idea of you dating someone else."_

Kuon hadn't finished forming his thought before it poured from his mouth in front of over 100 media outlets. "This is Doctor Yamada Mariko. She is currently interviewing to be the in house psychiatrist for LME as part of a new mental health awareness initiative. She has the approval of our president, but he has also asked for demonstration of her practical skills. The last thing she has to do before signing an acceptance letter is sorting out who the real me is." He tilted his head slightly as he winked at the cameras. "I can't always be the perfect gentleman can I?"

The room erupted in hushed whispers as Kuon raised his hand to quiet the group once again. "As I said, I don't feel this news is particularly news worthy by itself. The reason I have called a press conference to tell you this, is because you will all be seeing Doctor Yamada by my side quite often in the coming days. I didn't want to cause any misunderstandings in regards to our relationship." The next words came unbidden. "Especially, because her and her sister will be living with me for the duration of this practical skills test."

For a brief moment Kyoko's mind went blank as Kuon cursed himself. Fortunately, or not, the reporters had correctly assumed that, that was the end of Ren's announcement. They clamored for Ren's attention. He had agreed to answer all of their questions, but the reporters were like sharks that had scented blood in the water. Before Kuon knew what was happening Yashiro was by his side, directing reporters, calling them by name, to ask one question at a time.

Neither Ren nor Kuon would remember the answers they gave the crowd for the next 4 hours. They would just have to read about it in tomorrow's newspapers.

* * *

Ren's apartment just after 11pm…

Yashiro had promptly disappeared after the press conference ended, claiming that he needed to go talk to the public relations office. Which he probably did, but that left Ren alone with Mariko and Kyoko. And after being more or less chased into his apartment my three particularly excitable camera men Ren had added one more problem to his mounting list of concerns. The press now knew where he lived.

Mariko looked shell-shocked as she stepped out of her sensible black pumps and padded into the hallway in her tights. She headed straight down the hallway and made a sharp right. She was either headed to the bathroom of the guest bedroom Ren decided. It had surprised him a little bit a first, to see her move through his apartment like she knew the layout. Once he thought about it though, it made sense that Lory and Yashiro would have moved her in before the announcement was made.

Kyoko also looked frazzled as they slipped in the front door. She followed Mariko down the hall, but continued forward to collapse on Ren's couch in the living room. Neither woman looked back at Ren as he sat at the threshold and untied his shoes. He drug out the action, trying to gather his thoughts before he went the face the women. Nothing about this day had gone right. First, he had to fly back next to Murasame. All he had wanted to do was spend a few more precious hours playing Cain and his beloved sister, but 'Teddy' had ruined that plan. That led directly into meeting Mariko. Not that Ren had any animosity towards Mariko herself, but the situation… Kuon clenched his fists as he remembered Lory's part in the whole debacle. Kuon growled at himself. Thinking about it wasn't helping. He had more immediate problems than Lory… Like the woman with her head between her knees sitting on his couch.

"Mogami-san?" Kuon asked the teen as he moved into the living room.

"Why did you do that Tsuruga-sempai?" Kyoko whined. "I'm sure that Moko-san would have been a better choice. She looks much more like Doctor Yamada." She looked up suddenly with tears gleaming in her amber eyes. "You were forced into it weren't you? It was because you knew I was at TBM right? I'm SOOooOOoo sorry you are stuck with me for this role now. I'll do my very best not to let you down even though…"

Mariko walked out of the guest bedroom to find Ren standing in the hallway with a distressed look on his face. As she got closer she could hear the tail end of Kyoko's self-deprecating rant.

"Mogami-san." Kuon interrupted as he schooled his face. "I am the one who owes you an apology. I will not accept an apology from you for something that is in no way your fault."

"But Tsuruga-san."

Kuon held up his hand before she could continue. "Kuon." Kyoko blinked tears out of her eyes. "Remember Mogami-san? My name is Kuon. And I did not ask you to play the role of Doctor Yamada's sister because you happened to be nearby. You were my first and only choice for the role."

"Really?" She questioned in a meek voice.

"Yes. Mogami-san. I am the one who owes you an apology. I wanted you to play Mizuki so I would have an excuse to be seen with you. I went into the press conference planning to announce to all of Japan that I was dating Doctor Yamada. The only way I would have been able to spend time with you was under the guise of Mizuki visiting her sister. I… The way… The way things turned out. I didn't plan that. I'm sorry." Kuon bowed at the waist as he asked for her forgiveness.

"Why are you sorry Kuon-sempai?" Kyoko asked as Kuon suppressed a cringe. Something about adding sempai at the end ruined the sound of his name.

"Just Kuon, Mogami-san. No honorific please. And I am sorry that I did not discuss my plans with you ahead of time. I should not have said something so reckless without consulting you first."

Kyoko looked confused. "But you said yourself that the press conference didn't go the way you planned. You couldn't have asked me about it before hand if you didn't know it was going to happen. Sometimes you just have to improvise."

"And you are not upset with me for improvising our living arrangements?"

"What do you mean?"

For the first time that night it occurred to Kuon that Kyoko might not understand that she was Mizuki. "Mogami-san. Doctor Yamada and her sister are both supposed to be living with me. That is what I told the press." Kyoko nodded in acknowledgement. "You play Mizuki. So if Mizuki lives with me…" Kuon's words trailed off as a horrified expression flooded Kyoko's face.

"I'm supposed to be living with you." Kyoko finished. She fell to the floor in a full bow. "I'm SOOooOOoo sorry to impose on you like this Tsuruga-san! I'll do my very best to stay out of the way and make myself useful."

Mariko was baffled. Kuon had essentially forced Kyoko to move in with him and she was still trying to apologize. Mariko watched Kuon's expressions as he tried to keep up with the unreasonable logic of the tiny teen. She seemed to have no intention of allowing him to take any of the blame.

"Mogami-san." Kuon repeated her name once again. He wasn't sure she would hear a word he said unless he addressed her directly every time. "You are not to blame for any of this. Please accept my apology and get up off the floor. If anything I consider it to be an privilege to have you stay in my home."

Kyoko was about to refute him once again when a rumbling noise distracted her. "Tsuruga-san. When was the last time you ate?"

Kuon's mouth snapped shut as he considered her question. "We had breakfast in Guam." He replied.

"You haven't eaten anything since then?! Tsuruga-san you really need to take better care of your body." Kyoko was off of the floor and in the kitchen before Mariko could finish walking into the living room. "How do you live like this?" Kyoko questioned from the other room as she found his refrigerator empty.

"I was out of the country for two weeks remember? If I left any food in the refrigerator it would have spoiled by now."

Kyoko couldn't refute his words, but she was still in nutritionist mode. "I bet you weren't eating right in Guam either." She accused as she made a grocery list in her head.

Mariko's eyes widened as she watched Kuon pout. "I'll have you know I ate properly while I was in Guam. I even kept a food diary." He pulled his phone from his pocket and started queuing up videos as Kyoko checked the cabinets in his kitchen. "See." He said as he handed over his phone.

A smile found its way to Kyoko's lips as she watched the first two videos. After the second video finished she stopped to count the number of videos before moving on to watch another. She frowned. "Kuon. There should be 30 videos shouldn't there? Why are there only 22?"

"I couldn't take lunch video's while on location. I did take snap shots of my meals though." He explained as he took the phone back from her and navigated to the pictures. He stood next to Kyoko as he flipped through several photos showing his progress through each meal.

Kyoko looked up at him with innocent eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"I can't really blame you." He admitted as he realized they were almost touching. Maybe he had gotten too accustomed to being close to her when they played the Heel siblings.

"I need to go get ingredients for dinner now, but can I look at your videos later?"

Kuon nodded in response and was rewarded with one of Kyoko's dazzling smiles. He might never understand why recording his meals seemed to make her so happy, but he would do it until the day he died if she kept looking at him like that. He watched her skip happily from the kitchen with an idiotic grin on his face. Kyoko didn't turn back to see it, but Mariko made a note of his unguarded expression. _This… This the real him._

* * *

In the elevator of Ren's apartment building 5 minutes later…

Kyoko, disguised as Mizuki, leaned against the wall of the elevator as it slowly descended to the ground floor. Her head was spinning. Not literally. But with her thoughts as jumbled as they were, she knew she wouldn't be sleeping tonight. She would get groceries, make dinner, and then call Moko-san. Maybe then her best friend could help her sort out her thoughts. _Except I can't call Moko to talk about Kuon while he is in the other room. And I can't tell her about the Heel siblings either._

Kyoko had hit the emergency stop button in the elevator before her brain registered idea. Her phone was in her hand a moment later. _Pick up Moko-san. Please pickup!_ The phone seemed to ring forever before Kyoko heard the sleep filled voice of her very best friend. "Kyoko? Is everything ok? Why are you calling so late?"

The day caught up with Kyoko in that moment as she slid limply to the floor of the elevator car. Her sobs were the only thing that could be heard as Kanae held the phone to her ear.

Kyoko tried again to start talking to her best friend. "Moko-san… I… I had a horrible day and I can't tell you about any of it." She wailed into the receiver. It was true. She couldn't tell Kanae about anything. She couldn't tell her about anything she did while acting as Setsuka. And she couldn't tell her about anything related to Kuon either. It wasn't her secret to tell. She didn't even know if she could tell Kanae about her new role as Mizuki.

"Tell me anyways." Kanae commanded. She didn't care who had caused Kyoko to call her in such a state, though she had her suspicions, it didn't matter. Whoever it was, has incurred Kanae's wrath. How dare they hurt her best friend?!

"I really can't Moko-san." Kyoko responded weakly. "I'm sorry I called so late. I'm really Ok. I promise."

"Kyoko you are not Ok. Talk to me." But the line had already gone dead. It seemed Kyoko was not very good at letting others finish their phone conversations either.

* * *

Back in Ren's apartment…

"So…" Mariko began after Kyoko disappeared out the door. "You haven't managed to tell her you are in love with her?" Kuon shot the doctor a displeased look. "And she somehow hasn't figured it out yet?"

"Mogami-san was hurt very badly before. She has sworn off all things love." He paused for a moment. "I would like to tell her, but…"

"But you are afraid she would run away." Mariko finished.

"I can't take the risk." Kuon explained as he moved towards his bedroom. He returned a moment later with a pile of bedding. "She is the only thing that keeps me going anymore. I…" He looked at the doctor thoughtfully. "We wouldn't recover if she ran away from us."

"But you are losing control." She stated firmly.

"Yes. We are losing control." He laughed bitterly. "If we had any control with her in the first place. And I think it's because of me. Ren has very good control, Yamada-sensei. When he kept me locked away we were much better behaved than we are now."

The doctor considered this new information carefully before responding. "Which of you is the dominate personality?" She asked as Kuon made one more trip to his bedroom.

He returned with his sheep shaped travel pillow and an alarm clock. "I don't know Sensei. It's not that one of us is dominate to the other. More like we each make up for the things the other lacks."

* * *

20 minutes later…

Kyoko opened the door to Ren's apartment without knocking. She lived there now. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for her to knock to be let in? "I'm home." She called from the entryway.

Kuon nearly fell off the couch. "Welcome back." He called in return. He knew that the custom in Japan was to announce yourself when you came home, but he had never had any roommates. And hearing the words from Kyoko… His brain had temporarily short circuited. Even in his fantasies it was a rarity to hear her speak those words. Those were the same fantasies where two little amber eyed girls would follow Kyoko in the door. Then they would leap into his arms as they excitedly told their 'daddy' all about their days.

Watching him, Mariko could have sworn Kuon stopped breathing as his brain rebooted. Kyoko had him wrapped around her finger and the woman in question didn't seem to have any idea how strongly she affected the man.

"I'm going to make dinner now." Kyoko announced as she walked past the living room with a bag of groceries on her arm. "It will be done in about 15 minutes so please entertain yourselves until then."

"Do you want any help?" Kuon asked. He knew the answer of course, but he wanted to ask.

"No. Tsu… Kuon. Thank you, but I will have dinner ready shortly."

He nodded in concession and resumed watching the episode of Bridge Rock he had recorded from earlier in the day. He wasn't sure he had ever told Bou, but he watched every episode of the chicken's show. Sometimes he fell a week or two behind, but he always got caught back up.

* * *

Just before 1am…

Kyoko's time estimate was perfect and so was the food. Mariko had been thoroughly impressed by the actress's culinary prowess. She had described it as a simple dinner, but even if it was simple for Kyoko, it was well beyond Mariko's skill in the kitchen. Stretching, the doctor thanked Kyoko once again and headed off to the guestroom.

Kyoko watched Mariko go with mixed feelings. It both pleased and somehow disappointed her to see Mariko disappear into Ren's guest bedroom and shut the door. She was happy that Mariko wasn't going to be sleeping in Ren's room but she was also disappointed that she was going to end up on the couch. She shook her head to clear the thought. _I should be grateful Kuon is letting me stay her at all. A guest shouldn't complain about their accommodations._

"Mogami-san." Kuon addressed her as he moved to help her with the dishes. "When do you need to be up tomorrow?"

She thought about it briefly. "Yashiro-san said he would pick me up at 7am. I have a promotional interview for the second season of Box R tomorrow morning."

"Yashiro is picking you up? Did he finally get his driver's license?" Kuon asked as he put the last plate away.

"Yes, he did." Kyoko told him proudly. She knew this was a big deal for Yashiro. "He has been getting plenty of practice too. He has been acting as my manager for the past two weeks and he drove me almost everywhere."

"Almost everywhere?"

"I forgot that he was supposed to pick me up a couple of times and ran off to some appointments on my own." Kyoko admitted bashfully. "But super manager still made it work. I think Yashiro-san might be as amazing of a manager as you are an actor." She continued with a sparkle in her eye.

Kuon had to agree. After all, Ren's manager had gone above and beyond any job expectation when he started specifically scheduling time for him to spend with Kyoko. "Since it sounds like he will be spending his morning with you please say hello for me. Also let him know I will be sure to attend all of my appointments tomorrow."

"Of course. We had better get to bed then." Kyoko exclaimed as she moved towards the couch.

"Umm… Mogami-san."

"Yes, Tsu… Kuon."

"Please use my bed. I will take the couch." Kuon spoke rapidly to finish his thought before she could start to argue with him.

Kyoko turned a shade of pink Kuon had never seen before. "I couldn't possibly." She stuttered.

"I insist. It is my fault that we do not have enough beds so I will be the one to take the couch." Part of Kuon hoped desperately that Kyoko would just accept his explanation. The other part knew that she would fight tooth and nail to sleep on the couch so not to be in inconvenience.

"I couldn't possibly." She stated again. "I couldn't allow myself to be an inconvenience."

 _ **I**_ _knew_ _ **it.**_ Ren and Kuon thought at the same time. "It would be more inconvenient for you to keep me awake longer to discuss this further." He said as he lay down on the couch. He couldn't quite keep the playful smile suppressed.

Kyoko's blush transitioned from pink to red. "I couldn't possibly sleep in your bed Tsuruga-san!"

Kuon's breath caught in his throat. _**Why**_ _is_ _ **she**_ _so_ _ **beautiful**_ _like_ _ **that?**_ _It_ _ **makes**_ _me_ _ **want**_ _to_ _ **offer**_ _to_ _ **join**_ _her_ _ **in**_ _bed…_ _ **If**_ _she_ _ **isn't**_ _comfortable_ _ **there**_ _alone_ Instead he looked at her with innocent eyes and made a less than innocent statement. "Don't worry. I won't make you wash the sheets." With that Kuon knew he had won the battle. Laundry would be Kyoko's final defense. With that off the table she would have to take the bed.

But Kyoko hadn't been considering laundry when she objected to taking Kuon's bed. She hadn't even been thinking about being an inconvenience. The moment Kuon offered her his bed, she knew she couldn't accept it. Even if it was just for one night. The memory of her night wrapped in Cain's trench coat was still too fresh in her mind. If she slept in his bed, she knew her mind would wander. She knew she would let herself believe one more time, that she was the woman that held his heart.

* * *

Across town at that same time…

Sho threw the blankets off of his bed as he gave up on sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her, not Setsuka, but Kyoko. He groaned as he ran his fingers through is already messy hair. Even a Kyoko look alike could make him forget himself and act the fool. He languidly slung his legs off the side of the bed and moved towards the living room. It was there that the only friend he had left waited for him. Sure he had Mimori, but she wasn't really a friend, more like a pet. She was always yapping in his ear about something or other, but none of it ever made sense.

As he reached the living room he slumped into his favorite chair and ran his hands along her neck and down to her body. The feel of her under his fingers was the only thing that seemed to give him any joy anymore. After all what is success without someone to share it with? "Kyoko…" He breathed into the silent apartment as he pulled his most prized possession into his arms. He couldn't reach the girl… but the amber hued guitar that sung like a goddess… she was truly his without contention.

Sho's fingers moved along the cords in smooth succession as he let the music flow from his tortured mind to the light strings of the electric guitar.* "When I was younger I was certain, that I'd be fine without a queen. Just a king inside his castle, with an ocean in between. Now all I do is sit and count the miles from you to me. Oh, Calamity…"

"We get older by the hour. Watch the changes from afar. Keep forgetting to remember, who we've been is who we are. Now all I do is wonder. Why we ever set the scene? Oh, Calamity…"

"It's such a shame that we play strangers. No act to change what we've become. Damn, it's such a shame that we've built a wreck out of me. Oh, Calamity…"

"I'll remember nights alone and waking up to dial tones. Always found my greatest moments in the sound of your hello's. Now I struggle to recall the reasons you would come to leave. Oh, Calamity…"

"It's such a shame that we play strangers. No act to change what we've become. Damn, it's such a shame that we've built a wreck out of me. Oh, Calamity…"

"If I catch you on the corner will you even know it's me? Will I look familiar to you? Do you offer me a seat? Can we find a new beginning? Do you turn the other cheek? Oh, Calamity…"

"It's such a shame that we play strangers. No act to change what we've become. Damn, it's such a shame that we play strangers. No act to change what we've become. Damn, it's such a shame that we've built a wreck out of me. Oh, Calamity…"

"Oh, Calamity… Come back to me…"

* * *

A few minutes later in Ren's living room…

Kuon lay on his couch with his sheep pillow tucked under his head. He was too tall to fit comfortably, but he was considering it a mild form of penance. _**Ren, did I do the right thing tonight?**_ He asked himself.

 _Changing the story in the middle of the press conference?_

 _ **Yeah.**_

 _I hope so._

 _ **I just couldn't help but think that, on the off chance she actually loves us, we couldn't do that to her.**_

 _I know. I'm part of you remember._

 _ **Part of me? Don't you mean the opposite of me?**_

A sigh echoed in their head. _Don't make me lie to myself, Kuon._ After that they both fell silent. Internal strife was more than they could handle at the moment.

* * *

At the same time in Ren's bedroom…

Kyoko looked hesitantly at Ren's bed. She glanced warily at the door once more before lifting the covers and sliding between the sheets. His sheets were soft. Much softer than the ones she was used to. She wriggled a little bit further under the blankets, drawn in by the feeling of the material on her skin.

The smell of Ren's skin filled her nose as she nuzzled against his pillow. She smiled in the dark. It was almost as comforting as being wrapped in Ren's arms. Kuon's arms? Cain's arms? _It really doesn't matter what name I call him does it?_ She thought to herself. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep as she breathed in his scent.

The first dream she had was of coming home. She opened the door to Ren's apartment and called out. _"I'm home."_ His voice answered, _"Welcome back."_ It was echoed by two others as two little blue-green eyed boys ran down the hall. _"Welcome home Mom!"_ They greeted as they wrapped themselves around her.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow. It has been a rough 5 days for Kuon/Ren and Kyoko hasn't it? Good thing it's almost the weekend. Though I guess they were both working last Sunday…**

 **Ok then. *Author tips over her dining room table and hides behind it.* What did you all think?**

 ***Important Note: I do not own these lyrics. They belong to the very talented 'All Time Low'. I have no musical talent whatsoever. The song is called 'Oh, Calamity'.**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	13. Chapter 13: Headlines

**The Story so far: Ren's press conference didn't go quite as planned. Instead of announcing his live-in girlfriend, he introduced LME's new psychiatrist and her little sister. Now he has to live with them.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters… But you all knew that anyways.**

* * *

Early morning in a small company owned apartment…

Shoko woke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She glanced at the clock before she picked up the phone. _Why is he calling at 3:30am? Even he should be asleep by now._ She didn't even glance at the caller ID. She knew the only person that would be inconsiderate enough to call at this hour was Sho. "What?" Shoko asked with irritation plain in her voice. If Sho didn't like it, he could learn to call during normal hours. Any other manager wouldn't put up with him. At least, that's what Shoko liked to tell herself.

"Tell me it wasn't as bad as it looks!"

Shoko didn't recognize the voice at first. It had been a while since Sho had screwed up so spectacularly that the head of public relations office had called her directly. And unfortunately for Shoko, she had no idea what he was talking about. "What did he do this time?"

"You haven't seen it yet?!" The man sounded like he was slowly slipping into hysterics.

"Seen what? Is it on social media or did the tabloids get a hold of it already?" Shoko asked with resignation in her voice. In the two years she had worked with Sho, she had learned to accept that she would always be focused on cleaning up his messes.

"If it wasn't on the front page, it wouldn't have been the first thing I saw this morning." The sounds of a Xerox machine could be heard in the background. "Check your email and call me back."

The line went dead in Shoko's hand before she could reply. She leaned back against the headboard and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long day. It wasn't a good sign that whatever Sho had done was worth printing. Everyone had a website now-a-days, so internet articles were hardly a rarity, but an actual printed magazine… Someone had spent good money to put a picture of Sho on their front cover because they _knew_ it would sell.

Shoko's phone chimed, letting her know that she had received a new email. After taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and slid out of bed. She settled down in front of the small desk in the corner, the light from the screen stinging her tired eyes as she flipped open the laptop.

Her jaw dropped as the pdf attachment filled her screen. Not only had Sho made the front page, but so had Kyoko. Shoko would recognize the actress anywhere, even with long blonde hair and bored expression on her face. It was one of the many unusual talents Shoko had acquired while working with Sho. Her heart sunk and she revised her earlier assessment. It wasn't going to be a long day. It was going to be an excruciatingly long day.

' _ **Celebrity Sho Down in the School Yard'**_

' _Teen idol Fuwa Sho isn't known for having good attendance at school. It's up for debate if he is even enrolled in high school. But that didn't stop him from nearly coming to blows with action star Murasame Taira in front of Horikoshi High School yesterday afternoon._

 _The fight between two of Japan's top stars started shortly after school let out for the day. According to firsthand accounts, Sho mistook Murasame's girlfriend for the actress Kyoko, who starred in Fuwa's prisoner PV. He confronted the woman mid conversation, earning the ire of her companion. The exact words exchanged weren't caught by the crowd of onlookers, but not long after starting the conversation Fuwa succumbed to a fit a laughter that had Murasame clenching his fists. "I was sure Murasame-san was going to punch Fuwa-san square in the jaw." Rakuto Takabe, a student at Horikoshi High School, told us when we arrived to watch the end of the action. "The only reason it wasn't a total blood bath is because the girl stepped in."_

 _The girl, Setsuka (family name unknown), was first spotted earlier this week in a scandalous picture with Murasame. Rumored to be the sister of one of the actor's co-stars for the upcoming film Tragic Marker, this foreigner seems to have turned the hot headed ex-gangster, into a soft and cuddly teddy bear. Going so far as to actually nickname him Teddy._

 _So how did the tiny blonde break up the fight? She turned on the charm and turned Fuwa into a puddle of drool. "I'd let her call me Teddy too if she looked at me like that." Rakuto tried to explain. "I wasn't even in front of her and I wanted to agree with everything she said. It had to be a huge blow to Fuwa-san's ego to get thrown away after she led him on like that. I'm so jealous of Murasame-san right now." To add injury to insult, the one who actually started throwing punches was Fuwa's on again, off again girlfriend, Nanokura Mimori._

 _The final score for this showdown? Setsuka 1, Fuwa Sho 0. And we'll award Murasame Taira a half point for getting the girl.'_

* * *

Not much later in Ren's dressing room at LME…

Yashiro rolled onto his side willing sleep to take him. He had been up most of the night talking through Ren's disastrous press conference with the public relations office. Around 2am they had sent him to go get some sleep, promising him that the backlash from the press conference wouldn't be nearly as bad as he was expecting. That was 2 hours ago and Yashiro hadn't managed to get more than about 15 minutes of sleep since.

He sighed as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. The couch wasn't comfortable, but it was better than sleeping on the floor. Not that he was able to sleep. If there was ever a time that Yashiro needed to step up for his charge and friend it was now. He couldn't even imagine what being in a psychiatric hospital would be like. Not to mention the added pressure of having to keep up appearances. _At least Ren had Kyoko-chan with him._ Yashiro thought to himself.

The idea brought a smile to his face. Even if last night went down in history as Ren's worst press conference ever, he had walked away with Kyoko by his side. A blush crept up Yashiro's face as he imagined Ren and Kyoko living together. It was perfect, except for the fact that Ren would need to move. He couldn't very well mow the lawn while Kyoko hung the laundry outside to dry if they didn't have a yard. Yashiro nodded to himself as he imagined the two performing household chores while occasionally looking lovingly at each other. A knock at the door pulled him from his fantasy just as Kyoko was starting to help Ren fix the misshapen rice balls he had made for their lunch. "Yes?" Yashiro called out as he sat up on the couch.

"Department head Kobayashi wants to speak with you, Yashiro-san." A nervous sounding voice informed him through the door. Yashiro straightened his tie as he moved. He opened the door slowly so not to scare the skittish young woman on the other side. She bowed to him as he exited, her dark eyes hidden behind the fall of her bangs. In her hands was a copy of 'Friday' maganzine. She extended it towards Yashiro cautiously. "The department head says that this might actually be a good thing. He says it might even earn Tsuruga-san some new fans."

Yashiro didn't understand at first. The front cover had a picture of Ren, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with the press conference. Instead it was a picture of Ren in his costume for the drama Dark Moon. Scrawled across the photo in bold text was the name of the article.

' _ **Dark Moon Déjà Vu'**_

' _When the drama Dark Moon finished airing with a record number of viewers, fans were crushed to hear that the drama would not be getting second season. Keeping true to the original story, the drama left viewers craving more. What happened to Katsuki and Mizuki? Did they live happily ever after? Did Katsuki's growing darkness drive them apart? Did their forbidden love bloom in all its glory? While we may never know what happened to our beloved Dark Moon characters, it seems that Katsuki has made a lasting mark on actor Tsuruga Ren._

 _At a press conference Thursday night the actor introduced his new roommates, a pair of sisters by the names of Yamada Mariko and Yamada Mizuki. According to Tsuruga-san, his "friend", 23 year old Doctor Yamada Mariko, is soon to be the in-house psychiatrist for the LME talent agency. The only obstacle in her way? Figuring out who the real Tsuruga Ren is. Sounds like an excuse to live with his secret girlfriend doesn't it?_

 _The actor insists that wedding bells won't be ringing any time soon, but that might be because he really has the younger sister in his sights. The gathered press were_ _treated to a glimpse of a totally different Tsuruga Ren when 17 year old Mizuki took the stage. If there exists one word to describe a playful Tsuruga Ren, it would have to be adorable. But why stop with one word when a picture can say so much more?'_

Below the paragraph was a picture of Ren playing keep away with Mizuki at the press conference. She looked stunning in her sun dress as it floated around her, her arms reaching up as if to grab something. She was biting her bottom lip in concentration, her eyes focused solely on the imagined object dangling from Ren's hand. He on the other hand, was looking down at her with one of his real smiles, his eyes alight with mirth. The smile might as well have come with subtitles that read. "I'm head over heels in love."

Yashiro couldn't help himself from tearing up. He had felt so helpless this past week, like he couldn't do anything to help his friend. The only thing he managed to do was manage his schedule and send Kyoko to go see him. But that had been enough, because Ren was smiling. Really smiling. Kyoko may have been totally oblivious to Ren's attentions, but she was the only one who could make him smile like that.

Blinking tears out of his eyes Yashiro resumed reading.

' _Did you see that smile? If you didn't, take another look. That smile first made its appearance in episode 4 of Dark Moon when Katsuki started to really fall for Mizuki. Try as they might, no cameraman has managed to catch that smile anywhere else. Momose Itsumi, who played Mizuki in the drama, may have given a hint as to why that is in a recent interview, "They call Tsuruga-san the co-star killer because he makes his co-stars really fall in love with him. I wasn't any different when I worked with him for Dark Moon. He completely overwhelmed me with Katsuki's smile. But looking back, I think that is because she completely overwhelmed him." The interviewer never did get Momose-san to reveal who 'she' was, but after Thursday night, it seems clear that Yamada Mizuki is a possibility. Was Tsuruga Ren's Katsuki so convincing because of his longing for his own forbidden love? Time will tell. But it certainly feels like Dark Moon déjà vu.'_

* * *

Across town in front of a newsstand…

A smile crossed his face as the young reporter lifted the magazine from the rack. _My very first cover page._ He had spent 3 years writing little stories about little people. His coworkers didn't even consider him a real reporter, but this was the story that would change their minds. His grin widened as he paid for his magazine and hugged his prize to his chest. Who cared if the publication was disreputable? He finally got his cover page.

' _ **Who is the man behind Tsuruga Ren's gentleman's mask?'**_

' _Yesterday evening, in his first press conference of the year, Tsuruga Ren introduced Doctor Yamada Mariko, the woman who is supposed to uncover the 'real him'. The actor hinted strongly that he couldn't always be the perfect gentleman; going so far as to compare himself to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Of course Doctor Yamada's findings will stay private, but it begs the question, who is the man behind Tsuruga Ren's gentleman's mask?_

 _Over the years our readers have written in with several theories. After all, six years ago Tsuruga Ren didn't even exist. The crowd's favorite theory by far, has been that he is an alien sent to lull us all into false sense of security. Others have posited that he is in witness protection, using his fame to keep him from the clutches of some underground organization. There have even been a few readers who suspect he is a foreign fugitive hiding in plain sight. But this reporter has a slightly different theory on the man with no past._

 _It's not unusual for actors to adopt a stage name when they debut, but it is unusual for them to stop using their real name altogether. Another odd thing about Japan's top actor is a little known fact about his driving test. The actor took the test the day he turned 18 and he did it in a foreign sports car without ever obtaining a learners permit.*_

 _One more little publicized fact, is that the appearance of Tsuruga Ren coincides almost exactly with the disappearance of Hizuri Kuon, son of the Japanese acting legend Hizuri Kuu. How does that tie in with Tsuruga Ren's driving? Hizuri Kuon, having grown up in his father's shadow on set, was considered to be an expert stunt driver by the time he turned 15. He certainly wouldn't need to practice to pass his driving test._

 _There is also the matter of Tsuruga and Hizuri's shared birthday. Same day. Same year. Not convinced? I wasn't either until I saw their pictures side by side.'_

On the opposite page four pictures filled the space. On the top left was a close up shot of Tsuruga Ren. Next to it was a close up of Kuu in his early twenties. Beneath the two glamor shots at the top of the page were two full body shots. In the first, a blonde teen was walking out of a convenience store with a scowl on his face. He had a slender build for a boy, but it didn't look like he had his growth spurt yet. The caption below the picture listed him as Hizuri Kuon, age 14. The last photo was of a dark haired teen in a school uniform. He was taller and broader, but he wore a frown almost identical to the boy in the other photograph. This photo was labeled Tsuruga Ren, age 16.

' _What do you think readers? Am I wrong and Tsuruga Ren is really an alien? Or is Hizuri Kuon the man behind the gentleman's mask?'_

* * *

Ren's bedroom just before 5am…

Kyoko woke to the sounds of birds chirping. She wasn't sure she would actually wake up to the sound of her alarm when she first set it to 'Birdsong', but she found it actually put her in a better mood than upbeat techno she had been using before. It had the added benefit of never waking Ren when they were the Heel siblings. Waking up to see Ren's sleeping face had become a guilty pleasure of Kyoko's.

Reaching over to the nightstand, she turned off the alarm. It was harder than it should have been to motivate herself to get out of Ren's bed. As much as Kyoko didn't want to sleep there in the first place, she was even less inclined to climb out of the oversized bed. It was warm and comforting, with just the right level of firmness; just like its owner. Heat rose from Kyoko's skin as she batted the thought away. _Don't think about it!_ She scolded herself. It wasn't like she was ever going to have the chance to run her hands across his bare chest again.

With more reluctance than usual Kyoko crawled out from underneath the covers. Now that she was vertical she was ready to face the day. Or at least the shower. She walked across the room to the attached bathroom and started the shower. She hoped the sound of the water wouldn't disturb anyone else in the apartment, but she had never gotten the chance to shower after playing Bou yesterday. She _needed_ a shower. As the water beat down on her skin, she thought about Bou's conversation with Ren yesterday. When she had talked to him as Bou it sounded like he was going to go through with the plan to introduce Mariko as his girlfriend. _What made him change his mind?_

Kyoko opened the bottle of shampoo and squeezed a dollop onto her hand. The scent hit her as she worked it into her hair. It was different than the shampoo she shared with Cain. Most of the time they had just used whatever shampoo the hotels provided, but towards the end Kyoko had been buying the type of shampoo she used at home. She had chosen a gender neutral scent, ocean breeze, but Ren's shampoo smelled vaguely of citrus.

For a brief moment an image of 10 year old Corn flashed through Kyoko's mind. He wore a sloppy smile that only served to highlight his sparkling blue-green eyes. His golden hair glittered in the sunlight as he offered her half of his orange. "Half for me and half for you." He told her. "Food always tastes better when you share it with someone special."

Kyoko leaned her head against the cool tiles of the shower wall. It was unfair. She was already in love with Ren. And now that she knew he was also Corn… It was really unfair that he belonged to someone else. Kyoko sighed as the last of the shampoo disappeared down the drain. Belonged might have been too strong of a word, but at the very least he wasn't hers.

Her mind was reeling as she connected memories of the Ren she had come to know with her childhood fairy prince and the volatile man named Kuon she had brought back to Japan. She was half way to the kitchen before the sight of him sleeping pulled her from her stupor.

He was simply too big to be sleeping on the couch. Kyoko had known his long legs would dangle off the end, but his broad shoulders didn't fit on the narrow seat either; one arm hung loosely off the front of the couch as he lay on his back. Kyoko smiled. Cain hardly ever slept that soundly. She knelt next to him, brushing his hair from his eyes. She wondered what color they would be when he opened them. "You're taking the bed tonight." She murmured as she looked at his sleeping face. She would miss this.

"Only if you share it with me." Kuon replied. Kyoko backed away from him so fast that she tripped over the coffee table.

Kuon was instantly on alert as a crashing sound reverberated through the apartment. He had just been having a wonderful dream too. His eyes scanned the room, taking in as much as he could in the first instant he was awake. "Mogami-san, are you Okay?" He asked with concern as his eyes settled on the woman in front of him.

The coffee table had been upended and Kyoko appeared to have awkwardly fallen on her butt. She was leaning backwards, her torso propped up on her elbows, with her legs splayed out to the sides. She was also looking at him as if he had just grown a second head. Her eyes were wide as she sat up and pointed at him, her mouth working as if she were trying to say something.

"Mogami-san?" Kuon asked again as he moved to stand. She was on her feet and in the kitchen before he could even process that she was wearing one of his T-shirts as a dress.

Mariko clutched her chest as she willed her pounding heart to slow its frantic pace. Nothing worked to wake someone up like a shot of adrenaline. "Is everything Okay?" She called from the guest room as she moved towards the door.

* * *

At about that same time in Koga Hiromune's apartment…

Hiromune reached out his hand to find the left side of his bed empty for the fifth morning in a row. It was his decision, but it was still strange to wake up alone. He threw back the covers and walked to the bathroom. He had the same dream again. Or maybe it was a nightmare. Either way Momiji had a starring role. He hadn't been able to think of much else besides the chance to act with Kyoko again. She had entered his life like a whirlwind and now he couldn't get her out of his head.

The only other actor that had a similar effect on him was Tsuruga Ren. After his first commercial shoot with Ren, Hiromune had been practically obsessed with him too. Although, in a slightly different way. Method actors were rare and method actors good enough to pull Hiromune under their spell were even rarer. Ren was The Co-star Killer, Hiromune was The Mind Reader, and Kyoko didn't have a media title yet. But Hiromume would bet good money it was going to be something along the lines of Shapeshifter or Chameleon. _Maybe Kitsune?_ Yeah. That was better. She really was an enigmatic 'Fox Spirit', shifting from one form to the next without pause.

* * *

A few minutes later Ren's kitchen…

Kyoko's heart beat thundered in her ears as she hid behind the island in Ren's kitchen. How could he say something like that and then ask if she was Okay like he hadn't done anything? How could he possibly ask her to share his bed with him? Then it dawned on Kyoko. Ren hadn't been ready to give up the act as the Heel siblings either. It wasn't that Ren was asking her to share a bed him. It must have been Cain asking Setsu to share his bed. That was the only explanation.

Having convinced herself that Ren couldn't possibly have been talking to her, Kyoko stood and brushed herself off. Reaching into the refrigerator she pulled out everything she would need to make breakfast and set to work making a meal for two… a meal for three. _That's right. Yamada-sensei is here._

Mariko walked into the kitchen to find Kyoko staring blankly ahead of her with a knife in one hand. "Mogami-san?" She asked the teen hesitantly. In her experience it was best not to startle people with knives.

Kyoko jumped slightly. "Ah, good morning, Yamada-sensei. I'm sorry if I woke you." She lowered the knife to the cutting board and rapidly turned whole vegetables into a collection of small cubes. She set the knife down before she moved back to the stove with the cutting board in her hand. "Umm…"

"Yes?" Mariko answered as she watched Kyoko work her culinary magic.

"I don't want to be a bother, but… umm… I don't have any clothes here…" Blood rushed to Kyoko's cheeks as she realized she wasn't wearing her dress from yesterday. In her daze getting out of the shower she had walked to her closet and pulled out a dress. Only it wasn't her closet and it wasn't a dress.

Her distressed wail reached all the way to Ren's bathroom, where Kuon was taking a cold shower. He hadn't intended for the shower to be cold, but his body had stopped listening to him when it pieced together several pieces of information. First, Kyoko was wearing his shirt. Second, her bra and panties were folded neatly on top of her discarded sundress. Third, she didn't have any spare clothes in his apartment. And fourth, she slept in his bed last night. The image his mind conjured of the woman of his dreams laying naked in his bed had all but brought Kuon to his knees. The fact that she had suddenly appeared in his bathroom to apologize for using his shirt without permission wasn't helping the situation.

"Mogami-san, it's fine that you are using my shirt. It should have occurred to me that you didn't have any clothes here. But… could we please discuss this after I finish my shower?" Kuon's voice was strained, but he hoped the sound of the running water would cover it.

"Are you sure?" She asked as she hesitantly looked up at him. Kuon threw his head back in exasperation as he turned his body away from her. If she didn't leave soon, he was going to pull her into the shower with him. He just didn't have the control right now. _**How is she even in here? She knows I'm naked behind this shower curtain right?**_ It wasn't like they were playing Cain and Setsuka right now.

Kuon was saved by a yell from the kitchen. "Mogami-san! Your soup is boiling over!" He said a silent thank you to his therapist and adjusted the temperature of the water. Maybe if he took things into his own hands, he would have better control later. _**And maybe hell will freeze over.**_

* * *

Twenty minutes later…

Kuon stepped out of his room fully dressed and only slightly less sexually frustrated than he had been when he first woke up. He walked into the living room to find Kyoko and Mariko finishing up their breakfast. He couldn't be sure since they were almost done with their portions, but he suspected Kyoko had added extra food to his plate. His suspicions were confirmed a moment later.

"After that press conference I imagine that today is going to be a very tiring day for you Tsu- Kuon. So I made a breakfast that should give you plenty of energy. There is a little bit more than I would usually serve you, but I think you'll need it."

"Thank you, Mogami-san." He said as he sat down. He noted that she was now dressed in a scoop neck T-shirt and knee length skirt, presumably from Mariko's closet. He focused on eating the oversized helping of food on his plate as Mariko and Kyoko finished their conversation. It seemed Mariko had asked for help with her makeup and Kyoko was all too happy to share everything she knew on the subject. Part of Kuon wanted to ask Kyoko why she never considered becoming a makeup artist, but the other part of him knew the answer. She had been too focused on helping Fuwa fulfill his dreams to even consider her own.

He was only a third of the way through his food when the girls excused themselves to go put Kyoko's makeup knowledge to good use. He ate everything in front of him, feeling like his gut was going to burst by the time he picked up his dishes and moved towards the kitchen. By the time he returned to the living room, Mariko and Mizuki were already there with their purses in hand.

"Since, I will be spending the whole day with you I gave my key to Kyoko." Mariko informed Kuon as they walked towards the door. It was only 6:37 but Yashiro was probably already waiting to pick up Mizuki and transform her back into Kyoko. Although, they might just skip that step and have her show up to the interview already dressed as Natsu.

Kuon answered Mariko as he put on his shoes and followed the women out into the hallway. "That will work for today, but I'll make a point to get her her own key. I'll also have to see about clothing arrangements. I want to make sure she feels at home here." He was paying more attention to this grumbling stomach than anything else at the moment, or he might not have missed the hopeful expression that flew across Mizuki's face.

Kyoko scolded herself not only for breaking character, but also for getting her hopes up again. She just couldn't seem to help herself. Still, Mizuki's smile was just a little bit brighter as the 3 of them walked towards the elevator, exchanging details about their schedules. _Maybe Ren actually wants me here._

* * *

In the hallway of Hiromune's apartment building…

Hiromune took another bite of his protein bar as he waited for the elevator car. In his old apartment building he always took the stairs, but since he had moved, he found that trotting down 16 flights of stairs every morning just didn't have the same appeal. A smile came to Hiromune's lips as the silver doors in front of him opened. He had good timing today.

"Morning!" He waived cheerfully to his upstairs neighbor and the two women by his side. "Since when do you bring two women home at the same time, Ren?"

Kyoko froze as the smile on Kuon's face brightened in response. He was clearly unhappy about the joke. "Ladies, this is Koga Hiromune. Koga-san, this is Doctor Yamada Mariko and her little sister, Mizuki."

"A pleasure to meet you ladies." He replied with a flourish.

"Of course. It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Mariko answered. She nudged Mizuki in the shoulder and inclined her head slightly towards Hiromune. She was clearly indicating that Mizuki should respond as well. "Mizuki." She prompted the frozen actress by her side.

Kyoko still didn't have a good handle on Mizuki's character. It was good enough for a brief appearance in public, but it might not be good enough to fool someone like Hiromune. From the audition for Sacred Lotus in the Mire she knew he was very observant. "I apologize for my rudeness." She said with a bow, her voice pitched slightly higher than normal. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Koga-san."

Hiromune blinked twice as he processed the teens reply. "If you say so." He replied with a smile. "So are you looking forward to playing Momiji, Kyoko-chan?"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm late posting and I'm sorry about that… This chapter just refused to be written. I scraped the entire thing twice before I finally got some semblance of flow. If not for the encouraging words of my wonderful Beta Reader, Michiyo, you might have been stuck waiting even longer… So allow me to reiterate, I AM REALLY SORRY!** **ごめんなさい** **ほんとうにごめんあさい**

 **Pretty please leave comments/reviews for this chapter. Knowing you guys were out there waiting to find out what happens next is really what kept me going when I wrote this and I could really use the boost to start the next chapter.**

 **P.S. Does it bother anyone that my chapter lengths are all over the place? I didn't realize how big the spread was until I went back and reread the story to try to clear up my writers block. I always block out how much plot I want to cover in a chapter and just write until I feel like it's done. I think I'd end in strange places if I tried for consistent chapter lengths but it's something I can try to work on.**

 **P.P.S. Does anyone know if there are any fanfics out there where Kyoko and Ren swap bodies? I've been reading Skip-Paradox by LeFarFadet where Kyoko and her future self switch places. And it got me thinking that a body swap between our two love birds could be hilarious. Can anyone point me to a good story?**

 ***according to a quick internet search 18 is the legal driving age in Japan.**

 **Edited: 8/20/2017**


	14. Up for adoption

**Dear Readers,**

 **I've been trying to write the next chapter for… a long time. But my Skip Beat muse has left me. I figure I can just abandon the story and maybe come back to it who knows how many years down the line. Or I can put it up for adoption and see if anyone would like to continue it.**

 **If you are interested in adopting the story please get in contact with me by leaving a comment or sending a PM.**

 **Apologies,**

 **NewUserNamesAreHard**


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